


Caught Between Two Stools

by Dedlivs



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Jeno, Awkward Kissing, Boys Kissing, ChenJi, Complete, Confident Na Jaemin, Jeno and Jaemin aren't friends nor like each other at first, Jisung is a cutie, Kissing, M/M, Male Friendship, Not a polyamorous thing, Pining, Renjun hates skinship, Slow Burn, ad chenle is adorable, chensung - Freeform, for Renjun though, hinted - Freeform, markhyuck, neither do Mark and Haechan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-11 00:50:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 63,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15961169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dedlivs/pseuds/Dedlivs
Summary: Here's what happens when you become the subject of a Slytherin beater and a Gryffindor chaser's interest and you get caught up in their friends' feuds.**«He wasn't that funny or interesting to be around either. So why, Renjun wondered, all eyes were on him that day?»





	1. Troubled waters

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick note to specify that this isn't going to end up with Renjun, Jaemin and Jeno in a polyamorous relationship. He'll have to choose between the two eventually, just wait and follow his thought process until the end. 
> 
> Also, I'd like to apologise in advance for any syntax errors and grammatical mistakes, but English isn't my native language.
> 
>  
> 
> I sincerly hope you'll enjoy my first NCT's story ♥

On the surface, Huang Renjun considered himself nothing more than an regular student. Polite, diligent, curious and incredibly hard working were only some of the most interesting traits a Ravenclaw student could flaunt. Despite being a prefect, and enjoying a certain reputation as one of the most promising students of the bronze and blue house, he was nothing more than a quiet and introverted kid. He was very secretive and sort of rude when it came to protect his own personal space, hence he didn't like to draw people's attention on him - fawning girls in particular - and did the best he could to avoid any form of social interaction; that including Quiddich.  
  
In spite of his constant rejections, people seemed to like him nonetheless and he couldn't quite figure out why that kept happening. He tried his best to keep distance and always acted like he didn't care about relationships of any kind; but people just liked him for no apparent reason. Maybe it was the mysterious and intellectual aura that students often pointed out, or his modest good looks; but there were plently of boys that were much more good looking than him, inside and outside school, not to mention funnier, more sociable and easier to approach. Sometimes not even the "Muggle-born card" was of any use, as Half bloods seemed not to care and Pure bloods were somehow more open to accept Muggle-borns inside the school; especially after that whole mess with the Chamber of Secrets, during Dumbledore's charge. Throughout the years, there had been only a few minor cases of slytherin students bullying others for having non-magical parents, but nothing that needed the teachers or the principal's intervent. Prefects could handle the problem by themshelves, threatening the students to take points away from their Houses or sending them straight to detention. In most of the cases that worked and the bullying ceased. Of course Renjun wasn't stupid enough not to notice the spiteful looks and quick remarks coming from some Pure bloods from time to time, but none of those idiots seemed to have the courage to do anything stupid when he, or other prefects, were around the corner. Obviously there were times insults were thrown in his direction as well, but Renjun liked to think that he couldn't care less of what other students thought about him, especially his family background. He thought that anyone could become a powerful magician, even those who weren't born with a silver spoon and a fine lineage.

Anyhow, by the time Renjun started his fourth year, his notoriety faded almost completely and he went back being the anonymous, silent and strict prefect of Ravenclaw; also known as "the dude with the stick far up his arse". Again, Renjun didn't care. Knowledge and books were all that mattered to him as he had great ambitions for his future; one of the main reasons why the Sorting Hat had trouble deciding whether to place him in Slytherin or Ravenclaw. Clearly his diligency and natural-born talent of learning prevailed over his ambition, his sharp tongue and his unexpected love for reptiles. That, and also the fact that he might have begged the old hat not to place him in his least favourite house.

Renjun was well aware of his learning skills. He was an ace when it came to memorizing new spells, charms and potions; but to be honest he considered himself nothing out of the ordinary, as most of Ravenclaw students were as talented as him. He was simply an hardworking student who had a passion for reading and learning things, even those that other people might see as boring or useless. He was also sure he was nothing special to the teachers either, which he reasoned, were probably used to the large number of intellectual prodigies coming our the blue and bronze house by now.

Despite all of that, he never view himself as someone worthy of any female or male attention. He wasn't that funny or interesting to be around either. So why, Renjun wondered, all eyes were on him that day? He was there, sitting alone in his usual isolated spot in a far corner of the library. A few tomes of History of Magic and Defence Against the Dark Arts opened in front of him and Herbology essay, due to the next day, on hand. The chinese boy cleared his throat and played with the edge of his paper, when he felt an unfamiliar presence loom behind him.

That's when it clicked.

Whoever was staring at him, wasn't doing it because they were curious about him, but most likely interested in what was about to happen. After all, they knew who the person behind him was and what they could have possible wanted from him. That's when Renjun sighed internally and decided to man up, fight against his will of ignoring whoever was about to rest an hand on his shouder to get his attention, and asked «Is there anything you need?».   
The question came out less rudely than he originally meant to, but still, it sounded pretty taut. Feeling the hostility in the boy's tone, the person behind him froze on the spot and took some time to gather his courage and talk back.

«I-I didn't mean to interrupt you, but... I was wondering if you...uhm had any idea of were I could find this book?» the answer came in a soft-spoken voice despite the obvious nervousness of its owner. 

Renjun looked up from his books and met eyes with a boy with jet black hair and a bright, yet embarrassed, smile on his lips. His gaze shifted downward, to check the colours of the boy's necktie and the respective house pin. Red and gold. The boy was a Gryffindor, a popular one judging by the quantity of eyes that were instantly drawn to them right after he spoke.  
Renjun looked around, scanning the room to make sure that wasn't part of those stupid pranks that some students from Gryffindor were pulling off recently. It seemed not, so he sighed and stared back to the boy. 

« Uhm... I'm not the librarian. » He stated in a matter-of-fact voice. That sharp tongue was going to get him into trouble one day, but he could't help it anymore. The other boy looked pretty shocked by his harsh response and backed away, eyes shifting up and down, analyzing every single change of expression on Renjun's face before replying with a rather awkward: «Y-yeah, uhm yes I know. I just...» he stopped mid sentence to dampen his lips out of nervousness, then he cleared his throat and tried his best to stretch out a smile.

«You...you're Huang Renjun. Right?» he awaited for a response from the smaller and then continued with his speech: «Madam Pince told me to ask you, since...she knew you were sitting around here. I'm..uhm... sorry?» he explained before letting a small and panicked laughter escape his lips. Renjun's quick change of expression from annoyed to confused, and the fact that he had immediately stood up from his desk with a hint of a smile creeping up his face, made the boy feel more at ease.

«Is that so?» Renjun asked, still a bit unconvinced. The dark haired Gryffindor nodded and pulled a piece of paper out of his sleeves - literally - then handed it for Renjun to read. The blonde chinese boy took the paper in his hand and his thin eyes scanned it carefully from top to bottom. It was a borrow receipt for a book of Herbology, signed by the very own Irma Pince. The guy wasn't lying, he was truly just looking for a book.

«Alright then...» the Ravenclaw sighed and handed the paper back to.. «Mark! Mark Lee. Pleasure to meet you.» the Gryffindor said, this time with a serene smile and excitement in his voice, while holding out an hand for the other to shake. The blonde glared at him a bit weirded out by the sudden change of character, but eventually accepted the other's hand and introduced himself.

«Huang Renjun. I'm Ravenclaw's prefect, but I guess you already know who I am since you were looking for me.» he hinted a smile that disappeared as soon as he turned to look for the Herbology shelves. Mark followed him from behind, eyes on the smaller's back, not sure of what to do and careful not to bother the other in the research of the book he needed.

«Here you are. "Herbs of the Gods".» Renjun said after a few seconds, handing the red tome to the other boy with a kind smile. Mark grinned back at him and bowed politely. 

«Thanks a lot, man! I owe you one.» He exclaimed patting the chinese's shoulder in a friendly way. Renjun felt a bit uncomfortable at the touch, but shrugged it off and smiled back. 

«Don't sweat it Mark Lee.» He replied quite amused by the other's reaction. «Just do well and nail that Herbology test... I guess.».  
That was very unusual of him. Wishing good luck to someone he barely knew wasn't exactly his cup of tea. He never seemed to care nor took any interest in anyone else's scholastic career, unless the teachers asked him to tutor someone in a particular subject. It seemed to him that Mark Lee was gifted with the ability of making people - Renjun in particular - sympathize and cheer for him, even if they've never met before. 

«Must be one of those Gryffindor traits» he muttered, a hint of jealousy in his voice, whilst going back to his Herbology essay. The eyes of the students inside the library were still on him, but he decided not to pay attention and finish his job quickly.  
It was almost 8 o'clock in the evening and he started to feel hungry all of the sudden. The faster he finished filling his papers, the sooner he'd be able to eat and go back reading one of his favourite novels.

 

I.

 

The first Potions assignment started around the end of October. Professor Wang introduced a new subject called "Ephimeral and Everlasting Elixirs" and explained that their sixth year would be the hardest, as the elixirs they were going to brew were some of the most difficult and dangerous to be made at school.

«One tiny little error and the potion might turn the wizard who seeks for fortune or love, into a tobacco can.» He explained. Upon hearing this many students lost their enthusiasm, especially the ones who weren't really fond of potions or that sucked at the subject in general. The rest sounded pretty excited, especially after Mr Wang announced the name of the first potion they were going to replicate.

«An "Elixir to Induce Euphoria"» he asserted as everyone opened their books at the designed page. «As the name clearly states, is a potion that induces a sense of irrational happiness upon the drinker. However, be careful the final color of the brew must be of a bright shade of sunshine-yellow, or else, whoever drinks it will have some minor side-effects. Does anyone know what these consequences are?» he asked trying to bring the attention of the class back to him.

An handful of ravenclaws raised their hands, eager to answer and get a few extra point for their House, while the gryffindors seemed to have no idea of what was going on. The boy sitting next to Renjun looked around and snickered at their clueless faces, making the chinese boy roll his eyes. He lowered his hand soon after. It was obvious that the teacher would try getting an answer from on the gryffindors instead of having a ravenclaw to "ruin all the fun".

«Mrs Locke, do you think you might guess the side-effects of the elixir, for us?» the man asked in a soft-spoken tone. Renjun rested his cheek on his right hand and shifted his eyes from gryffindor to gryffindor, until he spotted a certain someone. Mark Lee, the boy that asked for his help in the library a couple of weeks before. He'd never realized they shared Potions, and maybe a couple of other classes too, but he guessed it was mainly because he spent most of his time bent over books and taking notes, instead of looking at the students he shared a class with.

«I-I'm sorry Mr Wang... I-I...» the teacher smiled reassuringly and glanced over to Renjun, who was sitting right in front of him. 

«Mr Huang then. You might want to take a guess?» he asked, prefectly aware that one of his favourite students knew the answer by heart.

Renjun nodded nonchalantly and cleared his throat for emphasis «Excessive singing and nose-tweaking. However, a sprig of peppermint added during the brew helps to counterbalance these effects.» He stated nice and clear. Professor Wang smiled proudly at the young prefect's answer and added 10 points to Ravenclaw. 

«Very well, now you will be divided into small groups of four-» the students cut him off almost instantly and started humming amongst themselves. Some deciding who they wanted to be in a group with and others complaining that they didn't want to exchange places with someone else. Renjun just stood still and silent as usual, waiting for the teacher to intervene and dampen the enthusiasm.

«Well of course, if you'd let me finish... I will be the one to choose your teammates for this first assignment.» he added with an glimpse of joy in his eyes and a a triumphant grin, making everyone bust into compliants. Renjun just hoped to be paired up with someone that wasn't a total dumbass and that might get him a low grade. A group of ravenclaws would have been perfect. A bliss, even; but that was most likely not gonna happen.

  
Needless to say, a few minutes deeper into the lesson, Renjun had found himself throwing intense glares towards both the teacher and the three students of Gryffindor he had been grouped up with. First of all a girl named Julie Fang, which looked like she knew nothing about potions nor had any idea of what a cauldron was. On her left stood Mark Lee, who was smiling content as he had probably heard that Renjun was the best student he could team up with.

«How are you doing, man?» He asked throwing finger guns at the blonde's direction. The ravenclaw responded with a stretched out an embarassed smile and looked away.

Last but not least, on his right side sat Lee Jeno, an awkward teen with honey brown hair and curled lips. Renjun knew nothing about him, only a thing or two that he'd call "normal knowledge". First off, Lee Jeno played Quiddich and was one of chaser of Gryffindor's team; secondly, his eyes made him look like he was always costantly smiling, no matter what was going on around him. The second being a personal note of Renjun himself.

«Now that the groups are formed and you've spent some minutes getting to know each other, it's time to start with the brewing. Good luck everyone.». Renjun looked at his teammates one last time and sighed internally. It was going to be a long month, but he was certain that he could get through it without failing miserably. If he was the one giving the directions, their group would be the first to finish and to create the perfect potion. He just had to pray that the others were as focused and cooperative as he hoped them to be.

«Let's not forget the peppermint, guys.» He asserted, glacing over to Jeno who was already cutting the shrivelfigs without paying attention on how big the pieces needed to be. Renjun dampened his lips nervously and rolled up his sleeves, praying that Lee Jeno would listen to him before approaching him and fixing the position of the knife into the other's hand.

«Not like that.» He said grabbing an handful of shrivelfigs and showing the boy how to slice them properly, guiding his hands. Jeno followed the movement, distracted by the tingling feeling all over his face as a soft shade of pink colored his cheeks. «They need to be thinner, so that you can't feel them once you drink the Elixir.» Renjun explained soulessly. Mark and Julie were already onto the porcupine quills and the way they were looking at the spikes, unmistakably meant they had no idea of what to use them for. The ravenclaw sighed in dismay and took them away from the two gryffindors.

«Let me handle these. You guys... you take care of the fire and go find the rest the ingredients, before starting to wash up the peppermint. Okay?» he asked. The other two nodded, letting him take up the reins of the situation. Renjun scratched the back of his head and looked down ad the quills. He took a deep breath and tightened his grasp on the knife. He could do it.

He. Could. Do. It.

 

II.

 

It was a cold monday morning and the Great Hall was crawling with students chatting animatedly about their first failed projects, or complaining about how boring the new professor of Muggle Studies was. Renjun was there too. Sitting quietly and having breakfast at his house's table with a book in his left hand and a jelly doughnut in the other. He was lost in a book about the evolution of magic creatures in history, when the words "Halloween feast" echoed in his ear and caught his attention.

The group of female students gathered a few seats from his looked pretty excited today. They were seemed to be engrossed into some wild talk in regard to the impending and highly anticipated "Halloween feast" that was going to take place later that afternoon. Despite the general enthusiasm, Renjun didn't feel like that day was any different from the others. The only thing that he liked about said feast were the colorful pumpkins, bats and water snakes decorations hanging all over the ceiling; and maybe the thought of the several ghosts popping up and performing during dinner time. Aside from that, Renjun hated any other social event organized for the day, especially the ones consisting of dressing up as a monsters or dancing a lento with someone - he mentally quoted - "hopefully older than you".

«Oh shit. Look at his hair. He's so handsome.» A girl suddently screeched close to his ear, bumping his shoulder and making his doughnut fall off the table. Renjun looked at the scene in total dismay, completely powerless and unable to prevent his sweet from hitting the ground; as his willow wand was still secured in the hidden pocket of his black and blue cape.  
His eyes went instantly on fire and he started fuming. He was about to turn around and scowl at the girl that caused his breakfast to go to waste, when another butted in and pushed him on the other side. «What the hell?» he muttered in annoyance whilst adjusting his brand new round shaped reading glasses on the bridge of his nose.

«I heard he's going to be the new Slythering beater.» The girl with the high-pitched voice said in a tone of admiration. The others turned that direction and sighed in unison at the sight of the aforementioned Quiddich player and Renjun rolled his eyes and decided to go back ignoring the bunch of goose. Studying was definately more important and fulfilling than their conversations about boys.

«Na Jaemin is so hot, I swear.» Another girl with a croaky voice said. A fourth one responded with a not-so-innocent comment on the boy's ass and the first who spoke added something about his perfect smile.

Renjun felt the need knock his head hard against the wooden surface of the table, but decided to take a breath and to try covering his ears so that he wouldn't have to listen to that useless rumbling anymore. Sadly, it wasn't of any use. The girls started talking louder and louder, now disturbing not only the students that were having normal conversations at the Raveclaw's table, but also the ones who were trying to focus on their studyings on the other side of the room.

«How can he be so hot. Oh My God.» Stated a girl with a wheezy voice. The prefect bet that she faking having troubles to breathe only to add a little more emphasis and a dramatic tone to her following sentence: «Imagine going to the Yule Ball with him...» she said, making all the others either screech or sigh outloud.

«I heard they're planning to do a Yule Ball event this year for Christmas. I swear, if that's true I'm gonna ask Jaemin to go with me.» Declared the high-pitched voice again.

«I wonder if he's good at dancing...» said another one before being interrupted mid sentence by the coarky voiced girl.

«Who the cares when he's so hot? Just... Why does he have to be a Slytherin?» She sobbed. «And a Pure blood too!» added another one before elbowing Renjun on the back.

That was the last straw. The ravenclaw couldn't hold it in anymore. He had no idea of whoever this Na Jimin; Jaemin; - whathever his name was - was, but he already couldn't suffer hearing about him anymore. His Muggleborn blood was boiling and he was close to burst. He had to shut them up for the sake of his brain and for all of those people who were silently pleading for him to do something.

«Oh God. What's so special about him? Just go ask him out and shut up.» he hissed, making all the girls turn towards him in disbelief. One of them recognized him and immediately stiffened: «P-prefect Huang! W-we are s-sorry to-» her apology was cut off by one of her friends, who appearently couldn't care less about Renjun's dirty look.

«Are you kidding me? That's Na Jaemin, one of the most popular students in the entire school.» She explained incredulous. «How can you have never heard about him? Do you live under a rock or something?». She asked rather rudely.

The blonde boy cleared his throat and shoot her a dead glare. His face was a livid red, there were no doubts he was this close to burst and was so desperately trying to calm down. He looked at the girl directly in the eyes; took a breath; and spoke again. «I don't care who Na Jaemin is, nor what he does. All I care about is maintaining the peace and silence of the Great Hall. Peace that you and your - _disgustingly_ , he thought - loud friends are breaking.» He explained. «People are trying to relax and study in here. So now, you either reduce your voices to a whisper, or I'll subtract 20 point each from your respective Houses. If you want to keep screeching, you do that out of my sight. Am I clear?» He asked in a irritated yet velvety tone. A tone that he knew he wouldn't be able to maintain for long.

Luckily for everyone, the girl who seemed to know who he was, took the lead and apologized with a bow. She looked pretty embarassed by her friends' behaviour and asked Renjun to be merciful with their House points.

«We're sorry prefect Huang, we...we'll be heading to class now.» She bowed her head one more time and gestured her friends to grab their stuff and head towards the main door. Renjun watched them leave and once they were out of sight, he let himself fall on his chair with a loud sigh escaping his lips. The ravenclaw boy sitting across the table smiled and thanked him for taking care of the situation, and Renjun felt warm senstation at the pit of his stomach. However, that didn't make him feel any better. He still needed to cool off and the Great Hall wasn't the best place to do so.

He stood up and started packing all his things, breathing deeply as his eyes scanned the room as to make sure everything went back to normal. At some point he felt weird, like someone was staring at him so intently they could have burnt holes into his nape. He lifted his gaze and noticed that a bunch of guys from Slytherin were looking toward his direction. Amongst them, he noticed a tall boy with pink hair and a smug on his face; «That must be Na Jaemin» he thought wrinkling his nose in disgust.  
He already hated him and he'd never even talked to the guy, but that smug made him want to punch the Slytherin on the face. Next to the beater stood a boy with beautiful bronze skin, an amused grin on his lips as he talked to a girl around the same height as him. Renjun was pretty sure he'd seem him before, maybe at the library. His name was Donghyuck, he recalled while shifting his gaze on the smaller smiling teen sitting on the brunette's side. Said boy had popping minty-green hair and sharp eyes. He was smiling but it didn't look like he was paying any attenion to his surroundings. Renjun recognized him to be Zhong Chenle, a chinese boy, from fifth year, that sucked really bad at Potions. He was the student Professor Wang asked Renjun to tutor in exchange of some house points at the beginning of the school year.

He sighed. _«Alright Renjun, time to go.»_ He thought to himself taking one last doughnut and stuffing it into his mouth. _«You've had enough social intercourse for today.»_ He added jokingly whilst heading toward the main entrance of the Great Hall.

Little did he know, that was only the beginning of an hellish month.

 

III.

 

«So, do you like Quidditch?»

The question that left Renjun speechless for a good amount of seconds was rather simple, but there was no hesitation in his voice when he replied: «No. I don't like sports.». It felt strange to him, having to answer such a question after years spent pointing out the reasons why he didn't take any interest in the flying sport. Maybe he felt that way because he had never really thought of how much - in this case close to nothing - people cared and knew about him. Not that he complained. He hated drawing attention, but how does a Quidditch player not notice that one of the prefects never shows up during the starting speech at the beginning of every match.

He had always thought that they'd notice these kinds of things, especially in a school were everyone seemed to love said sport more than magic itself. He was always looked upon as an outcast by his fellow students. Maybe he had overestimated himself during the years. Maybe, being the prefect of Ravenclaw made him feel more important than he actually was to the other students' eyes; making him wrongly assume that even the Quidditch players had noticed his absence during the award ceremony that took place every year at the end of the Season. What an idiot he was. Not even Ravenclaw's team cared whether he'd show up or not, so why on earth a Slytherin would? Now, it all made sense to him. Quidditch, as long as any other sport - muggle's or not - was a completely useless waste of one's time to him. He didn't even know the names of Ravenclaw's team, and wasn't the least bit interested in awknowledging that, so why would a guy from another team know his name. Thinking about it, that sort of view was probably the main reason why Renjun had never paid much notice to the members of the Quidditch team he shared classes with. It took him six years to realize Lee Jeno, chaser of Gryffindor, was sitting only a few rows behind him in Potion class.

Six. Years.

Certaintly he had heard about Jeno before, from some fellow students, as he was apparently one of the youngest and most talented chasers on the team. The guy was praised by many for his natural-born talent for flying and his good looks, but clearly he had never been a subject of Renjun's interest since he was a goof when it came to brewing potions. Luckily, the prefect had to team up with him only for his first two assignments, but those two months in Potions class had been a nightmare that he wished he'd never experience again. To be completely fair Jeno's friend, Mark, was much worse than him but at least he had sense of humor and tried his best. Something the other never seemed to do, always stuck in his own world; "Cloud nine", or whatever Mark called that.

And after Lee Jeno, came the lastest addition to Renjun's ten feet long list of undesirable encounters. Someone definately more annoying than the aforementioned. A guy whose personality he despised more than his own. A so called demon in disguise. The kind that wears a perfect toothy smile, talks in a honey-like voice and hides his true intentions behind a soft shade of pink locks: Na Jaemin.

The new beater for the Slytherin's Quidditch team was in fact, the main cause of Renjun's most recent headaches and ulcer during Herbology, Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. The pink haired guy, the one he had the "pleasure" to exchange glances with during the little discussion that took place in the Great Hall a few days before, had seemingly taken a liking on him and started annoying Renjun during class.

Truth to be told, the beater was by far the most insufferable acquaintance the ravenclaw had. He was also his polar opposite. Jaemin was the stereotypical Pure blood, stuck-up and trust fund kid Sytherin seemed to never get enough of; plus he was annoyingly tall, smart, athletic, popular and good looking. He also had a pretty sharp tongue and an angelic smile that could melt every teacher's heart, even when the Slytherin and his groups of friends were at fault and deserved some sort of punishment. That smile granted them the freedom to do always as they pleased without the fear of getting busted. That smile was the Slytherin's strongest weapon and the thing that Renjun hated the most about him.

His first encounter with Jaemin took place a few hours after the incident of the Great Hall. The very night of the Halloween Feast. The ravenclaw had been forced to participate to the several extracurricular events in order to keep an eye on the students and make sure no one got out of school after a certain hour. It was a rather simple task, but unlikely the other prefects, Renjun didn't seem to enjoy it that much. He accepted only because the teacher promised him to add some useful extra points to his student card; and that pretty much explained why he had spent more than two hours sitting in a corner of the room, sipping some tea and reading one of his books, while the rest of the students were enjoying the night. He had to admit that it could have been worse. The students seemed to know how to behave and that gave him the chance to focus solely on his reading, without being interrupted by one of those ridiculous magic stunt someone had always the nerve to pull off when forbitten. Everything was peachy, until someone decided to take a sit next to him and slowly invading his personal space.

«Enjoying the night?» someone whispered in his ear. It was a low voice, sign that it belonged to a male, probably around his age too, but Renjun didn't seem to care to find out who the owner was until he felt the interlocutor's eyes burning holes into his head.

It was the familiar feeling of the situation that tricked him into looking up from his book and gaze into Na Jaemin's dark irises. Renjun almost lost an heartbeat at their closeness. He averted his eyes and flushed, unconsciously straightening his shoulders as to show reluctance at the thought of exchanging a few words with the taller male. Jaemin left a small chuckle escape his lips, and for the first time that night, Renjun felt nervous. The slytherin had abruptly invaded his personal space like it was nothing, and now pretented to start a friendly conversation with him. Renjun wasn't having it, so he decided to shift a few inches away and glare back at the pink haired boy in annoyance.

«Yes.» The blonde replied in a toneless voice, trying to tell the other off just by answering as plainly as he could. Jaemin's lips curling into smile as glanced over the book Renjun was reading and spoke again. «Is that Nicholas Flamel's biography?» he asked, this time with more confidence than the first. The huge philosopher stone depicted on the back of the book's cover made him feel dumb for asking such question, but there was clearly no other way to entertain a conversation with the older boy otherwise.

«It is.» The ravenclaw's reply came out as dry and uninterested as his previous one, leaving Jaemin completely dumbfounded. He shot a glance back to Renjun, whose expression had never changed and whose eyes never lost interest in the long paragraphs which recounted every little detail of the long life of Mr Flamel.

The slytherin sighed out of frustration, making Renjun smile triumphantly on the inside. He knew that meant the guy was about to give up on him, but that naive belif of his, proved once again how little the ravenclaw knew about his counterpart.

«So...why are you here, studying all alone, while everyone else is having fun?» the pink haired boy proceeded to ask after taking a few seconds to ponder on his next move. The smaller glared back at him, he couldn't believe the other was still willlingly sitting next to him, after being ignored and rejected like that. Renjun sighed in annoyance and decided to take care of the situation. 

«I'm not interested into partying. I'm here only because I had to. Now, if you'll excuse me...» he explained briefly, before standing up, bowing slightly and walking away. Jaemin followed him, eyes glued onto the smaller's back until he disappeared into the crowd, wondering where did it go wrong. Was it something he had said? Something he had done? He couldn't recall having done something disrespectfull enough to have caused the other to leave. 

Jaemin sucked his own lip out of confusion as his friend, Donghyuck waved at him in anticipation. «So, did you talk to the guy?» he asked smiling in excitement, sure that his friend had just nailed his first conversation with the ravenclaw's prefect. Jaemin's fixed smile dampened his enthusiasm.

«Do you want to talk about it?» he asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice. The younger shook his head and sighed out of tiredness.

«It's just...today is not my day, apparently» he muttered under his breath, before snatching away the drink Donghyuck was holding tightly into his hand and drink it in one shot. The shorter's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and betrayal: - «Hey! That was my chocolate liquor!" he retorted stealing his drink back, only to find the glass empty.

On the other side of the room, Renjun glanced over the two and mumbled something beneath his breath. He knew the way he treated Jaemin was unfair and probably unnecessary; after all he had done nothing but ask him a bunch of questions. Truth was, the ravenclaw didn't know how to act around people he didn't know, especially with those who seemed to want something from him - most people reached out for him to gain favours, in the past - or that dared to step inside his comfort zone without asking if that was okay with him. Jaemin had managed to do both things at the same and that caused Renjun to react like that. He felt guilty, but considering the following weeks, maybe he shouldn't have.

After that night, Na Jaemin tried a serie of different approaches, one in each class they shared. The first time was during Charms, the day that Jaemin had tried to sit next to him and Renjun's seatmate got so angry at the slytherin, that he had almost started a fight during Professor Kim's presentation. The ravenclaw had to spend two hours nodding at the other's boy compliants about how rude the pink haired boy was. Renjun thought that was definately worth it.

The second time Jaemin sat behind him during a group project in Defense Against the Dark Arts class and dared to touch his perfectly combed hair. Renjun would have jumped on him and smacked him on the face, but watching the teacher scolding the pink haired boy and his group of friends for not paying attention to his lesson and doing pranks on other students, had been rather satisfying. Renjun couldn't recall the last time he felt so pleased despite having to bear Professor Choi's rumbling throughout an entire lesson, but for once he didn't care.

There were many other minor incidents after that and Renjun was finally sure of one thing. Jaemin wasn't as evil as he'vd pictured him to be, but he had no respect for Renjun's personal space and that was pushing the ravenclaw over the edge. Sadly enough that wasn't even the beginning of Renjun's downfall.

 

A couple of weeks later, during Herbology, the Slytherin tried approaching him for the umpteenth time. That morning Professor Sprout decided to pot all the young mandrakes and replanting them into the larger vases of the greenhouse. Na Jaemin, took the occasion to learn something more about the prefect with the velvety voice whose walls he didn't manage to break through.

He approached him first, flashing one of his friendly smiles and hoping that would be enough to break the ice once for all. Nedless to say, it wasn't. Renjun wasn't the most secretive, unfazed and uninterested person in the whole school, for nothing. He didn't trust people easily, especially those who talked in an honeyed voice and whose words were always filled with flattery. Jaemin must have probably realized that by now, and that would explain the sudden change of topic. He opted to talk about something he felt more comfortable with and that he thought Renjun might be into as well; but he didn't consider how difficult the chinese boy could be. His walls were strong, and it was going to take a lot of effort to break them down. Judging by the ravenclaw's negative response, flattery and Quidditch wouldn't do it, so that's when Jaemin tried a different approach.

«So, what other courses are you taking beside Herbology, Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts?» He questioned, this time a bit more confident about receiving a positive response. Quidditch might not be the ravenclaw's cup up tea, but school was most definately it. 

Renjun kept his eyes glued on the messy pot Professor Sprout had handed him in the meanwhile, but didn't fail to raise an eyebrow in suspicion. He simply didn't get it. Na Jaemin was constantly surrounded by people. He was rich, spoiled, and he had lots of girls - boys too - at his feet; so why was he trying so hard to find something in common with him when Renjun, clearly wasn't having it. Something didn't quite add up in there.

«Too many to count.» He answered dryly, pulling the mandrake out of the dirt and placing it inside a new one. He proceeded into filling up the empty pot and then shoot a glance back at Jaemin, who was still hoping that wasn't the ravenclaw's final reply. He looked about to give up. He'd been trying to break through Renjun's wall for three weeks in a row without any result. It was obvious the shorter didn't like him at all, so why was he still trying so hard? The slytherin kneeled down slowly, securing a pot into his hand and staring at it with an empty look.

Renjun noticed the other's unnatural and hurt expression and couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for acting the way he did. He should have been happy that Na Jaemin was finally about to realize that he had wasted three weeks of his life, trying to make him interested; but instead of smiling triumphantly, he felt bad. He felt like it wasn't right to be happy when his actions were the cause of someone else's misery. The slytherin might have been annoying and rude, but he wasn't that bad, he didn't deserve that frown on his face. Renjun sucked on his bottom lip and looked down at Jaemin's mandrake for a brief moment, before he asked the other if he needed help to take the plant out.

The slytherin's eyes widened in surprise and his whole face lit up. He was completely taken aback and couldn't believe his own ears. Had Huang Renjun just, willingly talked to him first? Incredulous, he glanced up and met the older's eyes. They looked different, he looked different. Renjun mentally rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath, then asked the same question once again: «Do you need help with that mandrake?».

Jaemin's lips curled into a sincere and hopeful smile: «Yeah? I mean, thank you.» He exclaimed, still a bit surprised by the unexpected turn events. Renjun took a mental note as that was the first genuine smile he'd seen on the slytherin face in weeks; and he had to admit that it was pleasant to watch. Attractive even; not that his opinion on the devilish slytherin had changed simply because of that. If anything, that made him even more wary.

However, his expression had significantly softened after he had kneeled down and helped the other out with the remaining mandrakes. Once they finished, they took a break to the washbasin to clean up their hands and faces from all the dirt they had to deal with. Renjun could now feel Jaemin's gaze on him and he'd be lying if he said that it didn't make him the slightest uncomfortable. He wasn't used having someone stepping inside and outside of his comfort zone so many times in a hour after all, especially someone like Na Jaemin.

«You know,» the other interrupted his flow of thoughts and welcomed him back to reality with yet another smile. «You, are truly nicer than you think.» he asserted shooting a deadly eyesmile in Renjun's direction and resting an hand on his shoulder. The blonde panicked at the touch and took a few steps back.

He didn't like the skinship. It made him uncomfortable and caused him to break into cold sweats, but to be completely honest with himself, this time felt a bit less unpleasant. The spot Jaemin had touched a few seconds prior was burning hot and so were Renjun's soft cheeks.

«I...think we should go back to the greenhouse now.» He managed to blurt out, deadpanning all of the sudden and suggesting to go back to their duties. 

Jaemin nodded in agreement, wiping his hands on his emerald green cape and following the ravenclaw back to their posts. He then took a moment to stare at Renjun's frowny face as he opened his Herbology book to check on what to do next. Jaemin savoured the moment, paying particular attention to the way the other's eyes sparkled under the sunlight, the way his golden locks rested on his sweaty forhead and the timid shade of pink that creeped onto Renjun's cheek after he'd touched him. _«He is very cute.»_ Jaemin thought _«Beautiful.»_ He corrected himself seconds later, his lips curling in the barest hint of a cocky grin as he took a mental note.

_Huang Renjun hates skinship, but is also incredibly cute when he gets flustered._


	2. Midnight Strolls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ♣ IT'S JENO TIME ♣
> 
> Basically, Renjun spends more than a night out with a bunch of people he doesn't really know and learn some stuff about them. He agrees doing a little favour (???) :°)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this doesn't suck ^^uu
> 
> The third one is gonna take a lot more time because it's much longer -and I'm very busy - so please be patient T^T ♥

IV.

 

About a week later, it was Lee Jeno's turn to make an entrance in Renjun's personal life. It came with an unexpected late-night visit from professor Vince, that, in addition to asking the ravenclaw's prefect to take care of the magical beasts on the school propriety - on behalf of Rubeus Hagrid - gave him a further assignment. 

«I'm sorry to interrupt your late night study session Mr Huang, but it seems you'll have to look after these troublemakers tonight.» He announced as he opened the door of the Study Hall. Renjun, who was sitting close to Madam Pince stall, immediately stood up and bowed at the lanky old man.

«I was about to come ask you for Hagrid's Hut keys» asserted the boy, explaining that Hagrid had already informed him about his night off - to attend an important school meeting - and asked him to do him a favour by feeding his 'puppies' and looking after the students he should have been taking in the Forest with him. In fact, despite being - as the name itself implied - "prohibited", the Forbitten Forest often served as punishment for students who seemed particularly keen on flouting rules. 

That time was no exception.

Professor Vince had caught the culprits casting spells at each other in the middle of the corridor, drunk and after curfew. The designed punishment chosen by the Head of their respective Houses, was feeding the gamekeeper's beasts; a punishment that the ravenclaw prefect would have probably enjoyed if he were in their place, but that many students found a bit excessive.

There were quite a few reasons why Renjun liked paying visit to Hagrid and going into the Forbitten Forest whenever the groundkeeper needed his help. Firstly, he was a close friend of Hagrid; their passion and love for magical creatures and tea - Jasmine tea in particular - being two of the many reasons why they liked each other's company. During their long talks they'd often discuss about Renjun's school life's - and social life's - problems and Hagrid's past. The half-giant often said that they had found a friend in each other mostly because they both felt misjudged and left out by the rest of the students; two outcasts that liked things others didn't, or disliked things others liked.

The half-giant used to chuckle at the thought of a younger version of him going back to school and being friends with a boy just as strange as he was; but the ravenclaw couldn't laugh because he felt exactly that way. Hagrid was the only person who had never let him down. He'd always supported him, listened to his problems and helped him solving them. He would have made a great friends if he were a few decades younger. 

Renjun tilted his head and looked behind the teacher, waiting for the three students - he expected to find a bunch of panicked first graders - to pipe up from where they were hiding, with a semi-friendly smile on his lips.

«These are Jeno and Mark Lee from Gryffindor and Donghyuck, from Slytherin.» The teacher's words swept his smile away in a matter of seconds and, as professor Vince started introducing the three boys, Renjun mentally scoffed - careful to keep his composure cool in the process - and bowed slightly to them. He was, in all honesty, the least bit surprised. The slytherin was undoubtedly a problematic kid, given his previous stunts in both the Great Hall and the Quidditch pitch last week, but Mark and Jeno? He didn't expected to meet them in detention, out of all places.

«I must go now» professor Vince asserted whilst fixing his cloak on one shoulde. «Here» he said taking a step closer to the young prefect and handing him the Hut's spare keys. 

«I'll take care of it immediately.» Renjun responded snapping them from the man's scrawny hands as he was giving the others a rather dirty look.

«If they trouble you, come to my office. I'll take care of them personally.» He instructed looking at the boys that were now smiling nervously, their hands folded in supplication as if they were begging the teacher to have mercy.

Renjun's lips curved into a reassuring smile as he wished a good night to the man and assured him the three of them were in good hands. «I'm sure they'll behave» he said, and upon hearing those words Professor Vince grinned in delight. Those three must have done something aweful to him to have him despise them that much.

«Enjoy your little trip into the woods then. I'll leave you to it.» The old man declared before walking out the room, leaving Mark and Jeno staring at each other in a mix of confusion and fear. Their faces were as pale as a sheet of paper, Renjun observed, the thought of spending a night out in the forest without Hagrid wathcing over them was making them shit in their pants; and there he thought gryffindors were supposed to be: _«brave to the point of being reckless»_. He guessed Mark and Jeno were the exceptions that prove the rule.

The slytherin on the other hand, looked more annoyed and tired than scared. The ravenclaw had noticed the way he'd rolled his eyes, as to say 'As if', when he and professon Vince exchanged a rather awkward playful banter. Donghyuck was pretty sure the teacher and that prefect were joking around and having fun with them, trying to scare the shit out of them before the actual punishment. There was no way they'd let them go out there, in the dark, without the groundkeeper, unless they wanted them to die. He scoffed and told himself to just play along. 

Renjun shoved the book he was reading inside his bag and placing his wand in the self-made internal pocket of his coat. «Well...» He then asserted staring back at the rest of the group. «Come on, we have a lot to take care of tonight.» He added heading toward the door and tapping lightly on Mark's shoulder in the process. A friendly gesture that more than reassure the other, allarmed him even more. 

«Are we really going inside the...t-the Forbitten Forest?» he asked, stuttering out of nervousness. Renjun didn't respond, sighing loudly and he would have rathered to stay inside, now that he knew who was going to be spending the night with, instead of spending to hours - or more - watching over two scaredy-cats and a slytherin.

At least he'd get to see Fang.

**

 

Once they opened the door of Hagrid's Hut, Fang jumped over them and started barking loudly at the intruders. It didn't take long for him to recognize Renjun's scent and voice, but still, the prefect had an hard time hushing him up because of Donghyuck's lady-like panicked screams.

«Fang, calm down they're just a bunch of students!» He tried to explain, having trouble holding the dog back as he was bigger and stronger than him. He decided to try with a different approach, petting the old dog's head and ears and cooing him so that he would cool off a bit and go back being the impossibly lazy dog he always was.

«I missed you so much Fang! It's been a while, uh?» He cooed, smiling cutely as the dog started to lick on his face, showering him with hot and wet kisses. Fang had clearly a soft spot for the young wizard, Hagrid loved to point that out every time he paid him a visit.

A bunch of minutes later, Mark and Jeno reached out their hands to pet the old dog as well, gaining his full trust after barely a couple of strokes and blandishments; and Renjun took that time to look around the house, gathering all the things he needed to carry along. Only then, he realised Donghyuck had been following him as if he were his shadow. He grinned amused as he noted that Lee Donghyuck wasn't half as brave as he wanted them to think. They were good to go, he just had to remember to pick up a couple of tools from the pumpkins garden outside and the buckets full of food Hagrid carefully prepared during the morning.

 

«Good boy.» Mark said giggling cutely once Fang had started licking his face and playing around. Renjun shook his head in disbelief. «Traior» he muttered jokingly as he watched the dog jump all over the places to get the gryffindor to play with him. He would have looked almost like a puppy if it weren't for the extra pounds. 

«Here, give this to him.» He said handing Jeno a piece of raw meat and telling him to be careful when giving it to Fang, because - he quoted Hagrid on this one - the slugger couldn't control his strenght.

«This fellow here, was famished!» Mark exclaimed after witnessing the old dog voraciousness. The ravenclaw shrugged and took the leash out of his bag, tying up the dog while he was distracted by the meat.

«He always is. Don't let him trick you.» He giggled playing with Fang's ears. 

«So, are we ready to go?» He asked once he stood up, poiting at the four buckets placed on his left. Donghyuck gulped loudly and opened his mouth, for the first time since they had arrived.

«Are you seriously going to bring us into the Forbitten Forest?» He asked in disbelief, breaking into cold sweats as soon as Renjun nodded and gestured him to get a bucket. The guy let a low groan escape his lips. «I-I don't think that's allowed.» He replicated taking a step back. His voice sounded significantly higher than Renjun remembered it to be, an hint of a smile creeping onto the prefect's lips at the thought that the slytherin was, indeed, scared. Mark didn't waste time and took that chance to call Donghyuck out for being a "sissy", causing the other to instantly jump on his feet as a form of protest and making Jeno smile in distress, as he tried to calm them down.

«Guys. Can we go back to the main topic here?» Renjun's loud and firm voice, plus the sound of two buckets bumping into one another, drew all the attention insantly back to him. He handed one of them to Jeno and waited for him to grab it. The guy winced in confusion, but followed the instructions anyways, looking inside his bucket and coughing at the smell of rotten eggs and dead rats that came out of it. Mark laughed at him, as he had checked his own first and found nothing but special fodder inside; but the real "fun" - Renjun didn't enjoy the moment as much as the other two did - started when Donghyuck looked inside his and found an old rug.

The slytherin raised a suspicious eyebrow and reached out to poke whathever was inside, letting out an unearthly shriek as soon as the bag started moving on his own and the thing inside pecked his hand. He literally threw the bucket against the wall and freed all of the bird-like creatures while screaming like a middleschooler.

«WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT. WHAT. ON. EARTH.» He cried out on the verge of tears, Mark and Jeno doubling up with laughters just a few feet away from him. Renjun rolled his eyes, casting a spell to trap at least a couple of birds for the herd of thestrals.

«Immobilus.» He chanted in a clear voice, then he glared back at the three and told them to quit joking around and help him out recollecting the immobilized winged animals. 

 

**

They entered the forest with stealthy steps, careful not to make a sound until they were completely sure to be alone. Renjun pondered on what to do first and opted to find the therstral so that they wouldn't have to worry about the birds escaping again; however, when he realized they were closer to another nest, he decided to pay a visit to his favourite creatures first.

«So, what's first on your to do list tonight?» Mark asked, voice filled with excitement as he kept swinging his bucked back and forth by the handle. Donghyuck shot a death glare in his direction and muttered something under his breath, causing Jeno to smile out of embarassment. Renjun picked something along the lines of: «Fuck all of these dumbass creatures...» and rolled his eyes dramatically before warning the other to be careful when talking about magical beasts.

«Watch out what you say, Lee Donghyuck-». «Haechan, please.» The other rectified in a friendlier - almost - tone. The ravenclaw let a sigh escape his lips and continued his speech: «We're about to get close to the Hippogriffs' nest, so would you please lower your voice and show some respect?» He whispered proceeding to walk slower not to scare the giant winged beasts.

«You're kidding.» Mark stated in disbelief. Renjun hushed him and gestured him to look further into the forest, about 30 feet ahead of them stood a couple of hippogriffs. They lights of both the moon and their torchlights were too dim to reveal the colour of their plumage, but the prefect recognized them perfectly.

«You see them, right? On our left there's a female with bronze feathers named Laurel, on our right it's Oliver. He's got pinkish roan plumage and I swear, he's the most beautiful hippogriff I've ever seen.» He smiled content, it's been a while since he'd met Oliver and Laurel; and they were his favourites.

The slytherin and Mark nodded in agreement as they seemed not to be able to take their eyes away from the majestic birds, that were flapping their wings to get read of the foliage stuck in between the long feathers. On the other hand, Lee Jeno was caught staring at something completely different. His eyes were glued on the shorter male's nose and lips as he was whispering the names of the missing giant birds and talking about how beautiful they were under the daylight.

«Is that an egg?» Mark asked out of the blue, pointing out a huge round rock only a few inches away from where they were hidden, in a rather childish way. The others looked down and studied its shape in disbelief. Well, everyone did beside Renjun, who scratched the back of his head and confirmed.

«Yeah, but it's an empty one.» He said before turning his back to the hippogriffs and stealing Jeno's bucket from his hands in exchange of his full of raw fish.

«Now, you hold onto Fang before he tries to jump out and scare Oliver and Laurel away.» He ordered to Jeno, handing him the dog's leash and nodding in reassurance. Turning to Mark and Donghyuck, he noticed they were still caught up into the scene before them and slapped the latter on his arm to get his attention.

«Listen to me. You stay here, in silence if you don't mind, while I go straight up to them and feed them. Are we clear?» He orders.

The others nodded and watched him trailing the bucket behind his back, walking as slowly as he could toward the hippogriffs and bowing deeply once they stood up and screeched at his sight. Jeno and the others watched the scene from afar, holding their breaths and petting Fang's head out of nervousness. The beasts seemed to recognize Renjun and, after a few sniffing and eyeing, they accepted to be fed - with dead rats - and let him run his hands through their bronze and roan plumeage.

«I missed you guys.» Renjun cooed, rubbing the feathers under Oliver's neck and gaining an happy chirp from the bird. Laurel then started pecking at his cloak to get some attention as well. The young wizard smiled at the signs of affection of his two feathery friends, unaware of the younger gryffindor's stare on him. There was something in the way Renjun smiled that made it impossible for Jeno to look away. It was such a rare sighting and he needed to savour the moment as much as he could. 

A few minutes later Renjun returned to them, his smile had faded and he went back being as emotionless as he was before he left. He locked eyes with Jeno for a brief moment, waiting for the gryffondor to pass him the bucket of fish and to walk away soon after. The younger's smile turned into an disappointed frown as he tightened his grip onto Fang's leash and followed the group from behind. The ravenclaw's smile engraved on his mind. Huang Renjun was beautiful when he smiled, be he would never have the courage to say it out loud.

**

The rest of the night proceeded rather quickly. After the hippogriffs came the therstral herd, which he was the only one, out of the group, to able to see and feed. Donghyuck gawked at the sight of the freed birds being preyed and eaten alive by an invisible creature, and so did the gryffindors. When the slytherin shook his head in disapproval, Mark muttered something about the "Circle of Life" and Jeno nodded along. Then it was the unicorns' turn. Donghyuck and Jeno were both so excited and couldn't wait to finally see one of those legendary creatures, but sadly, it wasn't easy and they weren't lucky enough to be able to see them on their first night out in the forest.

«At least we were lucky enough not to meet an hag or a werewolf...» Renjun tried to cheer them up. Obviously failing and making everyone, especially Donghyuck, particularly wary of his surroundings. Last but not least came the most dangerous beast of Hagrid's deadly zoo: the Blast-Ended Skrewt. A giant, pale and shell-less scorpion with legs sticking out at odd angles. They were about six inches long and smelled strongly of rotten fish, that raising a question amongst the clueless members of the quartet. 

«Why would someone feed one of those smelly things, with fish? I mean, they are basically the same thing.» Donghyuck pointed out and for once Mark seemed to agree with him, for once. Jeno stood by, watching silently as his mouth twisted into a disgusting grimace.

«That's it. You answered it youself.» Renjun confirmed arresting his pace. The others groaned in disgust at the thought of a monster eating another one, but the prefect hushed them and ordered them to stay still. They shutted up almost immediately and watched him turning off his torch and pulling up the handle of the last bucket.

«Where are you going all by youself?» Mark asked visibly worried. He didn't want the ravenclaw to be eaten alive by a giant shell-less crab, but he knew that if he'd insist about going with him they'd both regret it. Renjun gestured them to reduce their voices into a whisper and pleaded them not to follow him.

«You should be hiding far enough from the skrewt, but if you talk louder than this he might find you, so shut your mouths and watch over Fang.» Explained the blonde boy in a tone that betrayed his intentions to calm the others down.

«The dog knows how to behave, so you don't need to worry. However, I want you to listen to me carefully.» He took a deep breath, uncertain whether to tell them or not, but eventually gave in: «It's just...I'm telling you this because I have to, but I want you to know that it's very unlikely to happen. Jeno gulped, frightened that something might go wrong if he didn't listen to the older's advice. 

«If I don't come back in ten minutes, I want you to free the dog from the leash and run as fast as you can. Don't look back; don't try anything stupid; go straight to the principal's office and talk to Hagrid.» He ordered, eyes shifting from boy to boy, making sure they understood what he'd said.

After the scary speech Renjun rolled up his sleeves and headed further into the forest, fast paced and with the handle of the bucket secured in his hands. It was going to be fine. He had done it before, countless times. He didn't mean to scare the shit out of the three boys - okay, honestly he kind of enjoyed it - but Hagrid made him promise to say that everytime he went feeding the skrewt by himself. 

**

It took exactly nine and an half minutes to place all of the fish in the beast's nest and head back to the others. However watching the others' panicked faces made it seem like an year had passed since they last saw him. Renjun walked up to them with a satisfied smile on his lips and broke the silence with a rather awkward and tactless: «You look like you're about to die. Come on, that was the last one for today.»

Upon hearing those words Mark looked at him incredulous and then broke into a soft chuckle.

«Man, you're awesome.» He stated in disbelief. «You scared the shit out of me, you know that? I thought: "What are we going to do if he doesn't come back?" I'll tell you what. "We'd be fucked" that's what.» He joked, even though Renjun could see he was still visibly shook by the whole situation. So was Donghyuck, that was staring blankly ahead of him, face as pale as the moon; and Jeno, that was trying so hard to act like he didn't loose a bunch of years when sitting back there waiting for him. Little did he know, Jeno had lost a couple of years at the thought of loosing the chance to see Renjun again, more than the thought of loosing his own life.

« -but please, don't do that again.» Mark's cheerful voice echoed inside the walls of Hagrid's Hut as they decided to share a drink together. Renjun's eyes smiling in amusement, while Donghyuck and Jeno busied themselves drinking the whole cup of tea in one shot. Mark's expression darkened all of the sudden as he looked at Renjun straight in the eyes and repeated himself.

«No but, seriously dude. Don't EVER do that again. EVER.»

 

V.

 

The end of November came by so quickly, that Renjun didn't even have time to realize that the snow had already covered the school's courtyards and its surroundings. Looking out of the large  
windows, the prefect of Ravenclaw could see the large Quidditch pitch filled with people cheering for the two first houses to have a match. The screams could be heard from inside the building, the students chanting the respective Houses' hymns: Hufflepuff and Gryffindor being the first contestants of the season. Again, Renjun didn't care much about the match itself. He was only enjoying the almost unnatural piece of the Great Hall. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to relax after that tiring and nerve-wracking morning he had to go through.

The impending match between the two Houses had caused many hot-heads - from both Gryffindor and Slytherin - for some reason - to pick up a fight in the middle of the breakfast table, while everyone was waiting for their post owls to deliver their letters or a new copy of "The Daily Prophet".  
The reason behind said fight was still unknown to him, but he there was one thing he was sure about; whatever it was that bothered the two students so match to go on a rampage, didn't involve the Quidditch match and it wasn't part of the historical feud between the two Houses either. Renjun would have found it quite amusing to watch if he hadn't been the only prefect to be there to intervene and break the two students - who were the cause of that whole mess - apart. Threatening to cast an immobilus spell on the entire crowd seemed to work; but the fact that the students who started said fight were none other than Mark Lee and Lee Donghyuck, and than neither Lee Jeno nor Na Jaemin had tried to help him out - and just stood there, watching him struggle - made everything much more ridiculous and annoying that it should have.  
He was still beyond upset at the four, and was glad that once the match had started both Mark and Donhyuck were sent to detention, whilst he could go back to his books. However, he couldn't help but wonder what was the real reason behind Mark and Donghyuck's quarrel. He knew they didn't exactly "like" each other but after that night in the Forest, and the many others hours of detention that followed, he had figured they were starting to bond. Of course a couple of hours every once in a week wouldn't grant them a serene and healthy relationship, but a fight like that was a bit out of the ordinary. The ravenclaw had never seen someone so upset over something, and judging by the sound of it, it was definately something more personal than a future Quidditch match between the respective houses. Funny. He'd never thought of Mark as an hot-headed person, maybe Donghyuck, but Mark...that was unexpected.  
«Renjun-ge, this Calming draught potion isn't working out well... I think I'll have to do it all over again.» The discouraged tone of a younger voice interrupted Renjun's train of thoughts and snapped him back to reality. Looking down at his desk he found Zhong Chenle eyeing at his dark violet slop in dismay. It was the third time in a row that he failed that day, and he still didn't get why his potion didn't turn cobalt blue as it was supposed to be.  
«What is it again, Chenle?» the older boy asked, the younger was clearly on the verge of crying. Chenle let out a sigh as soon as Renjun had started to list at least nine reasons why the colour could have turnt darker than it should.  
«Wait. I think I know now!» Exclaimed the minty haired slytherin after a good handful of seconds spent pondering over his previous actions. Apparently he had forgot to squeeze the doxy eggs before throwing them into the boiling water of the cauldron. The other shook his head in defeat. Professor Wang was right, that boy needed help if he wanted achieve at least an A - Acceptable - in his next O.W.L.  
«Look, Chenle.» He asserted after a few seconds spent watching the younger struggling with one of the aformentioned black eggs. The boy looked up biting his lips nervously, worried that the prefect might have wanted to scold him for being so goofy, and Renjun's gaze softened almost immediately. «I... I do want to help you Chenle, but I think we should call it a day.» He said as reassuringly as he could. «You've worked hard, but you're tired and I think...a bit distracted too.» He said pointing in direction of the Quidditch pitch. The slytherin scratched the back of his head and giggled out of embarassment.  
«What about you go watch the rest of the Quidditch match and we see each other tomorrow?» he asked with a timid smile. At those words Chenle's pout turned into a smile. He stood up, gathered - more like threw - all of his things inside his emerald green school bag of his and looked at Renjun one last time.  
«Are you sure I can go?» he asked a bit uncertain, as he worried that Professor Wang wouldn't believe him if he said Renjun had let him go earlier to watch the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff's match. Renjun tilted his head and rolled his eyes, an amused smile forming on his lips. «Just go Chenle. And if he asks, tell him to reach out for me personally.». Chenle's face lit up, his cheeks turned pink and his smile widened. His crescents glimmering in gratitude and appreciation, possibly making him look even younger that he was.  
«Thanks a lot Renjun-ge!» He exclaimed bowing politely to his tutor, before reaching out for his things and wear his cloak in a hurry. Renjun walked up to him and awkwardly helped him fix it on his shoulder. Chenle thanked him again, that cute smile of his never leaving his lips: «Jaemin-hyung is right. You're a very nice person.» He declared innocently before heading toward the door. Renjun followed him with his gaze and why, the boy's words had made him feel a bit fuzzy. He was trying so hard to get Na Jaemin out of his head, and everytime he was close to let that slytherin out of his mind, something - or someone - was inevitably there, bringing those thoughts back.

«Oh.» Chenle winced as another boy stepped inside while he was still holding onto the doorknob. Renjun glanced over. The two boys stared at each other for a fraction of second, then the taller one smiled timidly and walked all the way inside. Chenle's eyes followed the lanky boy as he hurried over to Renjun's table and sat down, then he turned around, opened the door and headed out.  
«Hi, hyung.» The gryffindor said, smiling awkwardly after taking his seat in front of the prefect. The ravenclaw tilted his head, lost in his own thoughts, then smiled back at the orange haired boy with fondness.  
«Hi Jisungie.»

 

VI.

 

«I'd like to have one box of Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans and three boxes od Chocolate Wands. Oh, and add a bunch of Acid Pops too. Thanks a lot.»

The cashier lady smiled and handed Renjun an handful of sweets inside a colored paper bag full of Christmas trees and snowflakes. Heading toward the exit, the boy checked the sweets out of the long list of presents he had to send home. It was three days left to Christmas and he ravenclaw knew he wouldn't be able to go home during the winter holidays; his father had been sent overseas for a few months and his mother had to take care of his sick grandmother. Still, wanted to sent his parents some gifts one of the school's post owls. «Honeydukes: checked; Gladrags Wizardwear: checked; Zonko...» he read the last one outloud and turned his head in the shop direction. It was crowded.

«Hey, look who's here! Doing some last minute shopping?» a familiar cheerful voice yelled from afar. It was Mark Lee's voice, loud and clear as always. Renjun hinted a smile and waved at him and his friends, who were probably standing in line trying to get their hands on the last Frog Spawn soaps before they sold out.

«Hey.» The Ravenclaw replied in a soft-spoken voice. The black haired gryffindor threw his arms around the smaller and pulled him in an hug which the latter didn't particularly enjoy. He liked Make Lee, he was a funny guy and seemed not to have any other intentions in mind when talking to him, but hugging like that was a bit too beyound his comfort zone. 

«It's been a while!» He exclaimed making the younger roll his eyes.

«Yeah, just about two days Mark.» He pointed out referring to Mark and Jeno's latest punishment, that went back to a few days before. Jisung giggled at his companions' embarassed expressions and then asked the prefect what was he planning to do for the holidays. 

Renjun shook his head and shrugged.«Nothing much...I'll be staying at here and finish some extra school work. My parents aren't home so...» the disappointment in his voice caused Mark to break into a loud sigh. 

«Argh, too bad. Me and the guys are planning to go on vacation together this year. If we only knew it, say, a week ago, you could've joined us tomorrow.». Renjun smiled and was ready to say something back, when Jisung interrupted them by poking the older's arm.

«Uhm...hyung? I'm tired of standing here in line and it's our last day here before Christmas. Can't we just go somewhere else and do something fun for once?» The orange haired boy pleaded, moaning out of boredom. Jeno shot a glance toward Mark as well, hoping that the latter would consider Jisung's suggestion at least for a second. The other pondered a bit and then grinned in excitement.

«You're right, the Frog Spawn soap can wait. Let's go drink something together, how about it?» He retorted looking directly at Renjun, whose eyes immediately widened in surprise. He raised an eyebrow in confusion and pointed a finger to himself. «You want me to...go with you?» He questioned shifting his eyes between the three gryffindor smiling at him. The bare thought of having to sit in Renjuns company for an hour or so made Jeno's heart flutter in hope and excitement. He had a chance to talk with the ravenclaw properly, away from some slytherins prying eyes, and get to know him better thanks to his extremely extroverted friend. He'd have to buy Mark en extra gift for Christmas this year.

«I'm a bit busy though-» Renjun tried to decline the invitation, a bit unsure of how it would be sitting around a table with the gryffindors, but Jisung pleading pout made him falter. He had a soft spot for the younger boy and he didn't want to disappoint him, turning his offer down, for once in his life. 

He internally sighed and stretched out a smile: «I guess I could make an exception for you, today.» He asserted causing Mark to break into an excited chuckle, Jisung to jump on his feet in triumph and making Jeno's cheeks turn into a darker shade of pink. «The Three Broomsticks it is then!» The older yelled throwing his fists up in the air. 

 

**

The wooden doors opened as a group of students from the first year made their entrance, wowing as they took their seats and looked around in awe whilst Madam Rosmerta asked for their drinks. It was so obvious that was their first time at The Three Broomsticks Inn, Renjun could tell by the way they eyed at the huge collection of stag's horns nailed to the south wall and at the empty buckets decorations hanging from the ceiling, right above the counter where the drinks were being prepared. It had been a while since the last time the ravenclaw had set foot inside the most popular pub around town, but nothing seemed to have changed. Memories of his first time drinking there rushed back in his mind. The place was still warm, crowded - maybe a bit too smoky for his likings - just like he remembered it, so were Madama Rosmerta's loud voice and her welcoming smile.

«So guys, what can I bring for you?» The woman's voice trilled in his ear as she approached their table, making Mark and Jisung wince out of surprise. The boys looked at each other. They had been so caught up in their plans for the holidays that they had forgotten to go through the list of drinks she had previously handed them. Mark panicked as he knew how forward Madama Rosmerta was and how much she hated to wait.

«Uhm... I'll...I'll take- no wait, not that.» He muttered.

«I'll take a Red currant rum, thanks.» Renjun rescued him, ordering in a soft-spoken voice. The woman nodded in appreciation and then glanced at Jisung and Jeno. 

«Make two.» Said the latter without even knowing what a Red currant rum was. Mark joined in soon after, choosing them same thing for him and adding Jisung's order as well. «And soda with ice, for our Jisungie.» He added ruffling the younger's hair with a fond smile. The woman wrote everything down and asked them to wait patiently as they were understaffed and she couldn't seem to find her bartender. Renjun gave her a kind smile, which made Jeno's heart miss an heartbeat or two, and told her that they were in no hurry.

«Don't forget the umbrella!» Mark joked once she left their table, making Jisung hiss and raise his hand to slap the older on the back of his head. 

Renjun tilted his head to the side and looked at Jeno with puzzled expression, to which the other responded with a loud sigh. 

«It's just... during his first year, Jisung had kind of a crush on Madam Rosmerta and kept looking for excuses to call her back to our table.» The gryffindor explained. «Thing is, she'd always forget the umbrella.» He added pressing his lips together in a thin line and nodding awkwardly. 

«Oh.» replied the other, a soft giggle escaping his lips when looking back at Jisung, who was pressing his hand over Mark's mouth to shut him up. The older struggled shifting on his seat and pushing the other away from him, gasping for air once he freed himself fro the younger's tight grasp.

«Say that again and I'll end you, hyung.» He threatened while running an hand through his hair, in the attempt to comb his soft and disheveled hair.

Madama Rosmerta came back with their drinks in less then fifteen minutes and that's when the boys started talking more seriously about their plans for the future. Renjun found out that Jisung's dream was to become an Auror, but he was worried that he wouldn't be able to keep his grades up because of his Quidditch training. He as a huge fan since he was two, mainly because his father was an ardent lover of said sport and always brought him to watch his favourite team playing at the World Cup.

«I've tried to audition to become Gryffindor's seeker, but apparently I'm not good enough to be part of the team...» He pouted in disappointment. Jeno and Mark tried to cheer him up by telling him that he was good enough, but their current seeker was the best player on the field and the team's captain wouldn't let that go to waste. The orange haired boy lowered his head and looked away, making Renjun's eyes soften out of empathy.

«I think you should try again next year though.» Jeno asserted in an earnest tone. «I mean, I heard that Jeon is gonna drop out of school because he's got a call from a famous coach.» He explained scratching his chin and locking eyes with Renjun for a brief moment while doing so. Mark broke into the conversation by adding that said player was supposedly going to join the Irish team as he was badly injured and would have to quit playing for a while.

«So he's that good...» Jisung let out another loud sigh, leaving no other choice but a sudden change topic. 

Renjun tried to save the mood by asking Mark what he was planning to do after school. Never he had made a wisest choice. The gryffindor's face lit up and his eyes spakled in excitement as he confessed that, despite being one of the best Quidditch commentators out there, he dreamed about being hired by Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes magic shop. He loved pranks, enjoyed creating new magic tricks and was pretty good at making people laugh so, that job was more than perfect for him.

«That wasn't... totally unexpected, to be honest.» Renjun asserted, making Jeno chuckle at his utter honestly. Mark's cheeks turned a bit redder and when Jisung pointed that out - smiling at the sweet taste of revenge - the other denied that it was because he was embarassed, blaming the alcoholic drink he'd just gulped down. 

«I totally agree with Renjun, here.» He said clapping his hands like an amused baby seal. «I can see you pulling pranks on your own customers and get fired because you "took it too far".» He joked, making Jisung burst into laughs. 

«Oh come on, that was one time.» The black haired one groaned loudly, throwing himself over the back of his chair and crossing his arms across on his chest in defensiveness. Completely unaware of what the three were talking about, Renjun asked for a further explanation and learnt that Mark had actually tried working at Zonko's a couple of years ago, but got fired because one day he pulled a prank on an old lady and she got so scared that she almost passed out inside the shop.

«Shut up Jeno Lee.» The older whined sticking out his tongue. «At least I'm not the one who talks about becoming a Head Curse-Breaker and sucks at both Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts.» Jeno hushed him by throwing a wrinkled napkin on his head.

«You're such an horrible friend Mark Lee.» He stated, his tone as equally whiny as the other's; Jisung and Renjun bursting into laughter along with him. Jeno froze at the sound of Renjun pleasant giggles. It was the first time he'd heard the older laugh so wholeheartedly and a warm feeling began to grow in the pit of his stomach. Jeno tried to shrug it off, hiding his face behind the thick glass of liquor as he took a sip of the drink; fearing that the others - Renjun in particular - might have noticed the sudden change of colour of his cheeks and start asking questions. 

Luckily they didn't.

However, once Jisung spoke, Jeno lost all hopes to maintain his poker face and started chocking on his own drink. «Why don't you ask Renjun hyung to help you with that?» He asked innocently lokoking at the two of them. 

His suggestion made absolutely sense, especially since he'd improved so much over the last month, but Renjun tutoring Jeno until the end of the year would mean that the end of the world was getting closer. Mark threw himself over his friend and tried to help him out of that embarassing situation before anyone tried to call Madama Rosmerta for help.

«Are you okay, man?» He asked shaking the other violently, until Jeno grabbed his hands and shoved him away. 

«What the hell, Jisung?» Jeno cried in an innaturally strangled and high-pitched voice, completely disregarding his dark haired friend's question. Renjun furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, not a word escaping his lips and analyzing the situation.

«I mean, why not?» Jisung ignored his fellows gryffindor and kept talking all by himself, completely unaware of the situation unfolding on the other side of the table, or simply neglecting it. He went on talking about how helpful those extra curricular lessons with Renjun's had been to him; how much he improved with those difficult transfiguration spells after practicing an hour a day like he suggested him to; and how good of a eacher the ravenclaw was.

«Seriously hyung, I would've never thought I'd be genuinely interested into herbs species in my whole life, but you did it!» The orange haired boy looked at Renjun with a bewildered, yet full of gratitude, expression. 

«I didn't even know what a pine tree was before meeting you, and now I even know what a star grass is used for! That is freaking disgusting by the way, but my point is, you could actually help Jeno achieving an O.W.L.». He concluded his passionate speech leaving everyone, including Renjun, at loss of words.

The chinese boy wasn't used receiving so many compliments at the same time, by the same person and in front of fifty - maybe more - strangers. He got so flustered about it that he even stumbled over his words when thanking the younger for his kind words. Jisung shook his head vehemently and shifted his eyes quickly between the ravenclaw and Jeno.

«I'm only being honest here. Jeno-hyung would be lucky to have you as a tutor, for a couple of months, at most.» He said, Mark nodding in agreement as he got back to his seat. 

«I think Jisungie is right. His idea isn't half bad.» He added, gaining nothing but an elbow in the ribs from the smaller. Just out of spite for calling his splendid idea "Half bad". Renjun looked straight into Jisung's eyes and then looked at Mark, who smiled back in anticipation. He took some time to think about it and actually, he thought, the young gryffindor could be right. With Jisung improving at the speed of light and only Chenle left, Renjun was running out of students to tutor; not to mention that Jeno would have been a perfect candidate since they were the same age and shared classes, which meant it would have been easier to organize a couple of extra lessons a week. It meant practice. Countless hours of practice.

«Well... if Jeno's alright with it, so am I.» He asserted darting a glance at Jeno, who was now looking at him wide-eyed in astonishment. Had Huang Renjun just accepted to tutor him? Which indirectly meant they'd have to spend a crapload of time together. Alone. In the prefect or his own room? His ears must have been playing a trick on him. That sounded too good to be true. 

«So, what do you say Jeno?» Mark asked, unable to hide an excited and mischievous grin that made the other pink flush and stutter. All eyes were on him and he felt like there was really no time to think it through.

«I...It'd be fine with me?» He replied, even though it sounded more like a question in Renjun's ears. Mark cheered loudly, raising his empty glass toward the ceiling - Madama Rosmerta scowled at him for being too loud - and Jisung nodded and smiled contentedly. 

«Our Lee Jeno is finally going to get an A, guys!» The older yelled at no one in particular, getting threatened to be kicked out by the pub owner. Jeno turned to Renjun and lowered his head in a grateful bow.

«Thank you. I'll do my best. Just, let me know if you need anything. I'll be more than glad to help you back.» He muttered. 

Renjun shook his head and chuckled out of embarassment.«It's okay, I'm doing it because I want to.» He reassured the other. «I want to be a teacher in the future, so you're technically already helping me just by asking me to be your tutor. Practice you know...» He explained making Mark break into a surprised "wow". 

**

After another couple of minutes the boys got up, paid their tabs and walked straight out of the Inn, talking loudly and laughing among themselves, completely unaware of their surroundings. Unbeknownst to them, someone had been watching over their table from the very moment they sat down and ordered their drinks. The mysterious person had casually decided to stop by The Three Brooksticks to have a drink with his new acquaintance and _casually_ overheard their conversation. 

«Well, that's something Jaemin needs to know asap.» Donghyuck muttered beneath his breath, smirking mischevously and taking a sip of his third butterbeer. His companion looking around completely uninterested and visibly bored as they've been sitting in silence for almost half an hour. 

«He's not gonna like it» Donghyuck said, lowering the now empty glass and licking the bittersweet foam from his lower lip, lost in his own thought as he shook his head slowly and thought about his bestfriend's reaction. Eyes glimmering in amusement.

«Oh... he's definately not gonna like it.»


	3. For a friend's sake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaemin is sick of gryffindors getting in the way and Haechan enjoys to make fun of him;  
> Jeno sucks at transfiguration, but Renjun tries his best to encourage him;  
> Renjun ignores Jaemin for a while...  
> and Chenle is desperately in love with his new friend. 
> 
> ♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of things happen.  
> Especially between Renjun and Jaemin >u>
> 
> Hope you'll like this ~
> 
>  
> 
> Also **NEXT CHAPTER** is going to be the longest so it's going to take more than a week probably ^^u, so please be patient!  <:)

VII.

 

There were only two things Na Jaemin hated more than strawberry-flavoured snacks, milk and Haechan's prepubescent voice cracks as he mocked him about any Renjun-related thing. Gryffindor students; and losing to gryffindor students. The news about Lee Jeno and his group of friends hanging around with Huang Renjun came in the form of a barn owl and, in barely two seconds, had managed to ruin Jaemin's last few days of well-deserved vacation.

He couldn't believe that in a matter of days, that group of losers achieved something he took weeks to get. He put a lot of effort to gain the ravenclaw's trust, to make him open up a bit and share more than two syllables; while those gryffindors had it easy just because they came from the most loved and overrated house of the whole school. If being a gryffindor was all perks and no cons, being a slytherin was pretty much the opposite. Coming from the emerald and silver house, in fact, pretty much meant - and it was a common prejudice - that you were a douchy heartless little prick. Again, that was a justified prejudice most of the times as - he quoted the Sorting Hat - : _«...those cunning folk use any means, to achieve.»_ ; but that didn't mean all slytherins were the same and exclusively approached people only to use them. For example, he considered Haechan and Chenle his bestfriends and he had gained nothing but headaches and broken eardrums from befriending them. 

Renjun surely had his good reason to doubt the veracity of Jaemin's words and intentions, as the slytherin really did just befriend him to ask him a favour. However, the younger would be lying to himself if he said the he didn't take any interest in the ravenclaw after getting to know him. A friendly-ish interest, since the prefect's admirable qualities, his sharp tongue and dry answers plus his hatred for skinship, were some of the most amusing quirks Jaemin had ever seen. Of course that didn't change the fact that all he wanted Renjun to do was to brew a love potion, not to become part of his close circle of friends.

 

The slytherin didn't even know he existed before he started doing some research on the best potioneers in the entire institute. It had been a surprise to hear that the small blonde grumpy boy in his herbology class was indeed the prefect of ravenclaw, but he had never really paid much attention to his classmates if they weren't part of the Quidditch team or Haechan's self-proclaimed nemesis' friends. He wondered how that could be possible since Huang Renjun was not only a prefect, but also one of the best students in his classes and the kind of person that always raises up their hand to answer the teacher's questions. Curious how he managed to stay out of Jaemin's radar for the last six years. However, once he finally found out who this "potions genius" was and knew where to find him, he and Haechan started planning on how to approach him and the latter suggested him to test the waters first, the night of the Halloween feast. Jaemin was the best at socializing and was an incredibly good sweet talker, so he thought things would have been easy for him. Too bad he didn't know that flatteries and friendly smiles wouldn't work on Renjun at all, as he was a suspicious person by nature; making it almost impossible for Jaemin to ask anything more than a bunch of circumstantial questions. No matter what he said or did, the prefect would always look at him with distrust, answer in a dry tone and walk away without even considering him.

That was the first time - leaving out his first encounters with both Haechan and Chenle - that someone had the nerve to ignore him and talk back to him like that. His pride was hurt by Renjun's constant rejections and that made the slytherin feel like giving up and reaching out for someone else's help would mean losing to the ravenclaw; and the word losing had no place in his vocabulary. He had to win him over, even if it meant to act differently from who he really was. A piece of cake, as he was used to play the part of the annoying, yet incredibly nice and sweet guy, since he was born. It took him about a week to break through Renjun's thick shell and get him to group up together in herbology class - with Haechan constantly spying on them from a few seats behind - and chat from time to time during the breaks. 

That was the hardest thing Jaemin had done in years but he needed that potion fast, and that thought helped him get through it patiently; but now, those gryffindors were threatening the success of their plan. The pink haired boy shook his head in annoyance as he went back thinking about the Gryffindor’s chaser’s dumb face. 

Truth to be told, it wasn't any of his business whether Lee Jeno was faking to suck at transfiguration or not. It wasn't any of his business that Renjun had accepted to tutor him, completely unaware of being the gryffindor’s crush and the main reason behind his lack of focus, in the first place. Who cared if Renjun and Jeno were spending some "quality" time together, being all lovey dovey. It's not like Jaemin was romantically involved or the least interested in Renjun anyway, so, why was that bothering him that much? What made him so furious about Lee Jeno and Huang Renjun starting to like each other during the winter break? Hell, he didn't even know Jeno that well, aside from the Quidditch pitch. Maybe he was a nice guy, probably he was, and if he really wanted to be friends with the ravenclaw - or more - why the hell would Jaemin care about it? Of course, if he had considered Renjun as a friend, he would have supported and said something cheesy like _"you look so good together blah, blah, blah"_ tutoring lessons were stealing most of Renjun's time away from him, which undoubtely meant he'd have to wait longer to get his hands on the potion and they didn't. Have. Time.

«That pathetic excuse of a gryffindor better be glad to have such a group of sly friends. If it weren't for them he wouldn't be spending so much time with Renjun. Stealing him from me.» He thought outloud, a look of disgust and irritation creeping onto his face as he paced back an forth inside the Slytherin common room. «Now Renjun won't even talk to me. Being all busy tutoring that idiot and, because of that, chances to get our hands on a bottle of Amorentia are growing thinner. Why do Gryffindors keep getting in my way? First Mark and now Jeno...who's next?» 

Donghyuck sprawled onto the leather couch, an arm resting over a pillow and his chin perched upon his palm as he watched the other walk in circles and mumbling to no one in particular. He was struggling to maintain a serious face when on the inside, he was grinning like a cheshire cat waiting for alice to solve one of his riddles. «Is it just me or, this is no longer about the potion? I mean, you are acting more like Renjun's possessive boyfriend...» he mocked. Jaemin rose an eyebrow at that. 

«It's okay, I get it. You are starting to like the guy and you don't know what to do because you suck at feelings; so you just keep acting like you don't care about him and keep pretending that you're only using him, so that you don't have to face your own feelings. Shit like that happens all the time, bro.» he claimed playing with his hair. 

Jaemin pink flushed out of surprise as he didn't expected the other to be so bold «You're wrong. It's not that. You don't understand.» he hissed stomping on his feet like a spoiled child. «This is like, losing to a freaking gryffindor. I don't care about Jeno's stupid crush or Renjun's private life. He hates me? Whatever, he's not the first, and I don't like him that much either.» Donghyuck raised an eyebrow as if to say _"you can't be serious"_ and the younger groaned. 

«I _**don't**_ like Huang Renjun and never will. Not in the way you think, at least. I'm just tired of this farce and I just want to get that stupid potion once an for all.» He declared, nostrils madly flared as he added «I'll disappear from their lives if they really want me to, but I need that love potion first.» 

He took a break to get some air after talking that fast and then added one last thing that proved how much of a self-centered and self-absorbed prick he was. «Besides, the dude clearly has no taste if he chooses Lee Jeno over me.». Haechan rolled his eyes and glanced up to the ceiling, shaking his head in hopelessness at his friend's suddent burst of confidence and that ridiculous denial phase of his. When will his friend finally accept that the he felt some sort of interest for the ravenclaw? Something that went beyond asking a favour.

«You're lying. I know that because your left eye is twitching and it does that everytime you're hiding something.» Declared the other fixing his position on the couch and trapping another pillow in his arms. «And that _"I don't like him either"? "Not in the way you think"_? Pfff, you missed me with that bullshit. Just admit that you are jealous because Lee Jeno is trying to steal your man. This has stopped being about the Amorentia long time ago.» He stated with a note of amusement in his voice. Jaemin growled and walked straight up to him, pressing his index against the older's sternum.

«You are talking nonsense again Hae. I'm doing this only because _ **we**_ need Renjun to prepare that stupid potion so that we can give it to-». In that very moment Chenle walked in the empty room, eyes darting between his two friends, now frozen on the spot staring back at him in bewilderment, until he finally dared to ask if he had missed something.

«What happened to hyung?» He inquired after studying Jaemin's face and realizing how red he was. Haechan's lips quirked up in amusement as he sat back and clicked his tongue for emphasis. Jaemin stepped away and shot him a menacing glare, knowing what the other was about to say, but the brunette ignored the death threat and gave the younger a witty response. 

«Hyung has lost it.» He stated in a matter-of-fact tone, raising his index close to his own temple and mouthing something along the lines of _"He's a few bricks short of a load"_. Chenle let out a snort as he snickered behind Jaemin's back. When the other turned, eyes burning in annoyance, he bid them farewell and ran up to his room, locking himself in. 

Once he left, Jaemin let out a sigh of frustration and threw himself down on the couch, crushing Haechan's body and forcing him to shrink in size. The latter let a groan of protest escape his lips, then mocked the taller out of revenge. «Say, if you really don't care...then why don't you go tell him the truth and ask him to brew that potion for you? He'd probably be pissed at you and never talk to you again but, uhm» - he shrugged - «at least you'd get over it and ask someone else. Unless...» within that pause the brunette wiggled his eyebrows and puckered his lips suggestively, blowing a serie of kisses in Jaemin's direction. The pink haired slytherin rolled his eyes heavenward and pushed the other's face away from him. 

«Shut up.» He growled. 

Haechan ignored him and went on, throwing an arm around Jaemin's shoulders and monkeying around, repeating the words the other uttered the very day he walked up to Huang Renjun: «I'm Na Jaemin. I'm only doing this because I-» he couldn't get through the first sentence because the pink haired had slapped the palm of his hand over his mouth. 

«Shut up. I'm trying to think.» He retorted sparing him a glance of disapproval. Haechan was right. Looking back now, maybe he should have just asked the ravenclaw to help him instead of wasting his time trying to befriend him. The other didn't like him anyways and, if the prefect told him off, he would have just tried asking someone else for help. Renjun was a pretty interesting person and maybe that was the reason why Jaemin chose him in the first place, but that didn't mean he had to stick by him. He thought he'd be having a bit of fun before asking the older a favour but, because of those gryffindors, he needed to move fast. There was only a thing he could do now. 

«You know what? You're right. That's it. I'm gonna walk straight up to Huang Renjun and ask for his help, once and for all. No beating around the bushes and no sweet talks. Just the damn truth. We'll see if he'll listen to me that way.» He declared making Haechan shift back to his original position as he stood up. Donghyuck hummed a bit unsure what to say. He said what he said only to annoy Jaemin and get a reaction from him, but he didn't really think that telling Renjun the truth would be of any help; if possible, it would just make things more complicated. 

«Actually...» the other scowled at him and shook his head. «No. You're right. It's not a big deal. I'll talk to Renjun about the Amorentia and hopefully he'll understand why I've done what I've done. I'll come clear today. I'm tired of waiting for the damn thing.» 

After saying so, Jaemin walked out of the room and headed toward the Study Hall. Renjun was probably there with Jeno at the moment, but he didn't care. He had to listen. If he wanted to help him, good. If he refused to, then Jaemin would be free to ask someone else and stop wasting precious time. 

 

**

 

«No.»

So, apparently his plan was a little too unsubstantiated. Maybe he should have tried a different approach rather than walking straight up to the ravenclaw, kick Lee Jeno out of the room, tell him the truth and ask him to do something for him. He was aware his request sounded a bit more despotic than it was originally meant to, but it was too late to turn back talking flattery now. His plan had been uncovered. By himself.

«Why.» He inquired, cocking his eyebrow. 

The other let out a sigh filled with disbelief for the other to hear: «You do have some nerve to ask that, Na Jaemin.» He said, an hint of annoyance crept into his voice as he shut the book he was reading and threw it back in his bag. How could Na Jaemin be so full of himself, or stupid enough not to think that what he had just confessed was rude and offensive. What made him think that he was going to help him, after learning that Jaemin had been lying to him about wanting to be friends, for months? 

«Firstly, why would I help someone who'd just told me they befriended me only to get something in return?» He retorted, his eyebrows knitting together and his tone getting more irritated by the second. «Secondly, I don't want to be part of your and your friends' sheningans. Now, if you don't mind I'm trying to study for my transfiguration test, so, what about you leave me alone... forever?». Renjun didn't even try to conceal his scorn for the slytherin. He had wasted enough time already, listening to Jaemin's pathetic explanation on why he had lied to him and blabbering about how much he needed his help to brew some Amorentia "for a friend" that, frankly, he doubted even existed. Anyhow, the ravenclaw couldn't care less about the taller's hearts problems since, from all outward appearances, he didn't have a heart in the first place. What kind of person acts like they want to be your friends just to gain something from you? Shitty ones. Na Jaemin was a shitty person, just like Renjun thought he was since day one.

The slytherin seemed not to realise how bad and messed up the situation was, and kept asking Renjun to be helped without even bothering to apologise for his douchy behaviour first. He either had no ability to feel empathy for other people, or was simply a pompous idiot. 

«Oh come on, please... don't do this for me, do it for my friend.» Jaemin pleaded, his voice sounding nothing but sincere to Renjun's ears, deafened by rage. He had been tricked once already, he wouldn't fall for it twice. Whoever this friend Jaemin was talking about - if he even existed - wasn't his problem. He sure could help, but firstly, he'd always thought that Amorentia wasn't an answer for an unrequited love and, secondly, he didn't want to help Jaemin after what he'd done to him. What made his blood boil the most, what hurt the most and was causing him to feel a knot inside his throat, was the fact that he'd opened up to the slytherin and he gave him trust, but they guy had lied to him and pretended it was nothing. 

«I'm begging you here. Please.» the other's voice reduced to a whisper. Jaemin didn't know what to do and what to say anymore. He knew he had fucked up, but he also knew there had to be some way to fix that mess. Renjun misundertood his words. He had never lied to him about wanting to be his friends. Well, maybe he did, at first, but after that day in herbology class he'd started to genuinely like him and wondering whether they should keep up being friends even after the potion was done. It felt weird. It was the first time he felt that bad about lying to someone and using someone, even though it was for a good reason - to him - and others might get hurt in the process. He'd never thought that deeply into it, because he was used to subdue people as he wished and he had always, only needed an apologetic smile to ask for forgiveness.

«You can beg all you want. My answer's still no.» Renjun didn't even blink as he said so, acting completely uninterested in regards of whatever was coming out of the other boy's mouth. He was upset. He had thought Jaemin would have been different from all those slytherins that had used him in the past; asked him to brew things for them or begging him to help them doing things that weren't allowed to them. All of them tried to befriend him first, acting nice and complimenting him endlessly, just like Jaemin did; and when they were done they'd just throw him away. There was no way of sugarcoating it. Huang Renjun had trust issues because every single person he grew close to, during his five years at Hogwarts, had played him. Jaemin was no different and Renjun's hopes were now pinned on Mark, Jeno and Jisung alone. 

«Listen, I'm sorry I...I'm being a dick. I don't deserve to ask you a favour, I know that, but...if you'd let me explain-» The slytherin tried his best not to make his voice show how panicked he was as he said that, but the whole situation made him feel as if his stomach was clenched up in knots. Renjun couldn't bear hearing excuses anymore, so he cut him off harshly:

«Fine. Explain why you made me think you wanted to be my friend and now, after months, you're telling me that you reached out to me only because you needed me to brew you a love potion.» his face turning into an intense shade of red and his voice getting louder. «Tell me who's this friend you're talking about and why did you choose to trick me out of all people. Did you think I was stupid? Do you think I'm gonna forgive you just because you had the balls to tell me you are a piece of shit? I'm waiting Na Jaemin.». 

The pink haired slytherin stared at him, lips parted but no sound coming out as he was completely at loss of words. He wanted to explain everthing to Renjun, but he couldn't betray his friend's trust and break their promise not to tell anyone. He needed to choose between Renjun and his friend, but somehow the answer didn't feel that simple. 

«I.. I can't.» He replied in an undertone, making the other squint his eyes and throw him a glare of disappointment, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his bag firmly and stood up « Just as I though» he stated, ready to take his leave. Jaemin tried to stop him by tugging at his cloak and forcing him to look back. 

«Renjun seriously, I-I can't. Yet. But I will.» His voice was steady and his eyes flickering. Renjun couldn't tell if he wasn't lying, but he failed to understand what could have possibly been the reason why Jaemin couldn't explain himself now. How did he expected him to trust him again? «I'll explain everything to you, once the potion is done and my friend's okay» the other said, looking at him in the eyes and hoping that Renjun would understand his reasons despite not knowing a single thing. After hearing that, the blonde shoved Jaemin's hand off his clothes and shook his head in disapproval.

«I said no. Go bother someone else.» He retorted cold-heartedly. Jaemin sighed and cussed under his breath, avoiding the other's stare and thinking deeply about what to say next. He felt like that was his last chance to win the boy's trust and he'd never been so right in his whole life. The idea of Renjun hating on him for the rest of his school days, and possibly later on, made him feel nervous and guilty. A sensation he'd never experienced before and that he wish he hadn't. That was the main reson behind his following response.

«I'll do anything you want. I promise. But I really, really, really need that Amorentia.» He grimaced, biting his lower lip.

«For the last time-» Renjun groaned before turning toward the slytherin and realize something.

The room fell back into an awkward silence for a few seconds before he repeated Jaemin's word in a whisper. «Anything...» he articulated as he locked eyes with the younger and seemed to try reading the other's mind. The sytherin stared back, almost intimidated by that sudden change of emotion. There was no hatred in the ravelnclaw's small eyes, and that for the first time in a fifteen minutes long talk. The pink haired boy titled his head and nodded slowly, he even dared to curve his mouth into a timid smile as he thought he'd might have convinced the ravenclaw to help him out. The blond boy leaned in and stretched out an hand to grab the wand he'd forgotten on the table, smiling faintly when he straightened up and furrowing his brows once he noticed how close he was standing to the slytherin. Jaemin released the breath he didn't realize he was holding and swallowed, his eyes never leaving Renjun's face. The smaller's smile slipped «anything...» he muttered in sarcastic tone, a bitter smile forming on his lips as he looked up at Jaemin one last time and walked away. Watching the ravenclaw leave after talking and looking at him like that could mean only one thing to Jaemin. 

«I fucked up. Royally.»

 

VIII. 

 

As the days passed by, Renjun hoped Jaemin's words would stop lingering in his mind. He had not seen nor talked to the boy ever since their last discussion in the library, but he felt the slytherin's eyes glued to him everytime he went to class or sat in the library or the Great Hall. He refused to look back not only at the pink haired guy, but his friends too, everytime he'd bumped into and had the nerve to call out his name; but everytime he had to tutor Chenle, memories of the boy's taller bestfriend rushed back. The grin he used to hate and grew to like over time, despite the obnoxious behaviour of his owner, was the thing he'd missed the most an that was the weirdest feeling ever. He and Jaemin weren't even that close to begin with, they barely talked, never hung out - not that Renjun would have accepted to, but still - and clearly, never become friends in the first place. However, those rare smiles and occasional exchange of glances... he thought they'd meant something. 

«So, today is The Day. Capital "D".» Announced Mark as soon as he sat down next to Jeno slinging an arm around the younger's shoulders and ruffling Jisung's disheveled hair in the process. Renjun lowered his book and offered him a confused smile to which the dark haired male replied with an eyebrow waggle. «Today, Jeno Lee's going to absorb so much knowledge that he'd suddently become the best gryffindor student in history. No kidding.» He claimed in an amused tone. Jisung rolled his eyes and started munching his french toast while looking around uninsterested. He tilted his head as his eyes met Chenle's, who was seemingly staring at their table too, with a pout on his lips. The slytherin diverted his gaze, face flushing into a deep hue of red before he turned to hid behind Donghyuck's shoulder and started laughing hysterically at something the older said. Jisung frowned in confusion and exchanged glances with Na Jaemin, who unexpectedly avoided his stare too, before going back listening to his hyungs' senseless conversation. 

«That was weird» he muttered. His face twisted into a scowl, as the exchange of glances that had just occurred didn't made any sense to him. That boy, Chenle, it wasn't the first time he'd caught him staring at his direction but, Na Jaemin... Since when Na Jaemin gets flustered when someone catches him staring? Mark noticed his puzzled and worried expression and scooted closer to his chair. 

«Something wrong Jisungie?» He inquired receiving a shrug as an answer. 

«Just...I've just noticed some people are acting a bit weird, lately...» he scratched his chin and titled his head in direction of the slytherin table. The black haired boy winced as he realised what Jisung was implying. «Oh» was the only thing he said before the other boys' voices distracted him from his thoughts. 

«No, the Great Hall is definately too crowded to concentrate properly and we are not allowed to stay inside each other's common rooms so... I guess the Study Hall is our best option.» Renjun was apparently listing an handful of places where he and Jeno could study without being interrupted and obviously, the library was only option remaining. Mark yawned and drawn the ravenclaw's attention onto him, Jisung bet he hadn't slept for days, while Jeno couldn't stop nodding as he stared and listened to every word that escaped Renjun's lips. «It would be more intimate, and...» it took a lot of mental strenght for Renjun to say that, and Jisung could tell just by the way the corner of the older's mouth dropped momentarely, and his grip on the book tightened, as he said that. «...Madam Pince would take care of any nuisance for us.». 

«Good. Now, get out of the way.» Mark jokingly gestured them to leave as he had some important _"business"_ talk to do with Jisung. Jeno gave him a stern look before grabbing his wand from the table and following Renjun out of the Great Hall. 

 

**

 

The first half of the two-hour long session seemed to last so long, that the ravenclaw could literally see himself growing out a beard before the end of the day. It started out rather awkward as neither of them was exactly a smooth talker, but eventually they got more comfortable whilst talking about what Jeno had trouble learning from both subjects. It turned out to be more than Renjun expected, so they opted to go over transfiguration first, as it was more dangerous but didn't necessarily required them to go ask the teacher to borrow the DATDA* class.

_[*Defence Aganst The Dark Arts]_

At first, Jeno was listening carefully to everything he had to say and Renjun took that as a good sign; however, the gryffindor turning his songbird into anything but a crystal glass said otherwise. 

«It's Fera Verto, not _Vera._ » Renjun corrected the boy after his fourth attempt, which lead said bird to turn into a furry yellow-ish spoon. «But this time you were close enough» he added pointing his own wand against the hairy surface of the piece of silverware and turning it back to its original form. The songbird screeched and flew away, Jeno's forehead meeting the scratched surface of the table as he let out a sigh of discomfort and threw his wand away from him. It was useless. He really couldn't do it. 

«Accio wand.» Renjun's voice resonated in the silence of the room; he and the gryffindor being the only students inside as it was a beautiful day outside and everyone had probably decided to take a walk, instead of bending over books. «

It wasn't that bad...» the ravenclaw tried to reassure him with a blunt lie, but Jeno stared back at him as to say _"I dare you to say that looking at me in the eyes"_ his shoulders drooping in embarassment soon after. Renjun mentally sighed as he sat down and placed the other's wand on the table, offering a smile of encouragement which the other read more like a smile out of pity.

«It's okay, I know I suck at these kinds of things... I should just stick with playing Quidditch, maybe I'll have a chance as a reserve chaser in some mediocre team.» muttered the honey brown haired boy out of frustration. The ravenclaw stared at him for a while, gathering his thoughts before speaking up again. 

«Well, okay maybe you're not that gifted when it comes to transfiguration, but where's lack, there's always room for improvement!» His excited tone and the fact that he had rested an hand on Jeno's shoulder when saying that, made Jeno's ears flush almost instantly. Renjun leaned in unconsciously, tapping lightly on his back as he tried to reassure him, but the sudden touch and close proximity made the other's breath falter. He'd never been that close to someone he liked. 

«Jeno? Are you still with me?» Jeno was dying on the inside, hoping the other didn't notice the way his lips trembled and how red his cheeks turned when he'd touched hi,. «Y-yeah. Sure. I'm just...a bit tired, I guess. It's hard to focus...» - _«Because of you»_ he added in his own mind. There, he said it. He had finally admitted he had been crushing over Huang Renjun for the longest time ever. Mark was right, he was doomed, and he also owed him two galleons. _«It took you long enough.»_ that what he'd say if he were there with them.

Jeno sighed and looked up at the ravenclaw who had just cleared his throat, unaware of what he had just caused inside of Jeno's body, and opened his book, looking for something to help the gryffindor with the spell. While waiting, Jeno studied the ravenclaw's side profile in awe. His eyes moving slowly, following and tracing the outline of Renjun's straight nose, down to his thin lips and his sharp jawline. The gryffindor wondered how someone could look so cute, beautiful and handsome at the same time. He was trying to understand how come a guy, so breathtakingly beautiful and clever, did not have any friends before them. He had shared classes with the ravenclaw since the day after their sorting ceremony, but he'd never really notices him until his third year, during a lesson of Care of Magical Creatures.

 

It was their third year and he'd just joined the quidditch team, befriended Jisung - which didn't like Mark and him at first didn't - and already got his first P - Poor - in Potion. Back then he was an ace at Defense Against The Dark Arts and Transfiguration, but now he guessed, things were starting to get more complicated. Luckily for him professor Wang was kind enough to help his students making them work into groups instead of by themselves, which Jeno guessed helped the students' grades an boosted their confidence a lot. He had been always lucky with his project partners, but he'd never teamed up with Renjun before his sixth year. Mark called that a sign of destiny, one of those Divination bullshits he seemed so keen to believe, but since that first lesson things had changed a lot. Jeno didn't think divination was a complete bullshit now that he was sitting in front of his crush and watching him smile patiently to him. His eyes bored into Renjun's once the latter had turned to ask him if he wanted to finish for the day. 

«You seem so out of it.» said the blonde smiling in confusion as Jeno's stare grew deeper and he felt the need to look away. The ravenclaw's cheeks feeling warmer and making him feel slightly uncomfortable, his chest tightening as he felt suddenly aware of himself and Jeno's eyes on him. Since he didn't get a response, he cleared his throat one more time and giggled nervously. 

 

«I bet Quidditch is draining all of your energies out. The next match is against Ravenclaw isn't it?» Jeno nodded absentmindedly, then realized he was being obvious and straighten up immediately. Renjun noticed how stiff he was but he ignored that and kept going while packing his things. «I hope... you're not stressing yourself out too much. Mark says you do that all the time.». Jeno smiled out of embarassment and rubbed the back of his neck.

«Yeah...I do... often.» He managed to respond whilst gathering his things as well and shoving them into his bag.

«It's not good for your health.» Renjun stated. The concern in his voice made the gryffindor flush even more, and that's when Jeno held out an hand and grabbed the other's shoulder. Renjun winced, cheeks tingling slightly at the touch while Jeno stood there, pressing his lips together and at loss of words for a couple of seconds. He literally froze on the spot, not believing what he had the gut to do. 

«W-why don't you come see the match?» He asked gathering all the courage he could master in that moment, letting the other go and looking away awkwardly. He expected a rejection, he knew Renjun was way more comfortable around Jisung and Mark than him - that thought made him feel something weird at the pit of his stomach - so he didn't expect much, but he was hoping for a yes with all of his heart. Was he jealous of his friends for being so open with Renjun while he sucked at that? The question cudgeling his brains. However, despite his own prediction, Renjun's reply was nothing like what he thought he'd say. 

«Well, see... uhm, I'm not a big fan of Quidditch.» He answered sincerely, looking at Jeno's forced smile drop as he heard that. Renjun swallowed, hard. «But... I might make an exception.» He added with an half-smile forming on his lips as he took the lead and gestured Jeno to follow him outside. 

Jeno almost tripped on his own feet and broke his nose that day.

 

IX.

 

 

Renjun raised two fingers and looked straight into Na Jaemin's eyes after weeks of silent treatment. The other stared back at him and nodded slowly, his Adam's apple bobbing as his instincts told him there was something off in the way the blond was gazing at him. Memories of the last couple of months rushing back at him as he tried to understand why now, of all times, Renjun had decided to talk to him again and accept his request. 

 

**

_It was about mid march, the tree branches already full of flower buds waiting to blossom and an hint of snow still covering bits of the country lanes. Jaemin was looking outside, out of boredom, hoping to find something entertaining enough to make him forget he had been stuck in divination class for almost one hour. He kept wondering why he'd chosen divination out of all the electives that year, but everytime he questioned that to himself, Haechan would start snickering at someone's dumb prediction and he'd instantly remember he'd done that only because Donghyuck begged him to. Repeatedly. His excuse was: «I don't wanna this by myself and, honestly, besides Ancient Runes - which I've heard is very hard - all the other subjects sound pretty stupid to me. Jaemin might have rolled his eyes heavenward a couple of times after hearing that, but eventually accepted. He wasn't a big fan of magical beasts, muggles and old writings anyway, so there was no reason not to say yes to his friend's childish request._

_However, he had started to regret his choice - and that took him almost seven months - after he had found out he was going to share class with Mark and Jeno Lee, since they'd asked to be switched from arithmancy to divination once they came back from winter holidays. «Big change.» was the only sarcastic comment coming out of Haechan's mouth after hearing the news, followed by a torrent of abuse and vituperation thrown toward the older gryffindor as he stepped on the slytherin's foot by accident while sitting on his chair._

_Two months later, the four of them were sitting the furthest possible from each other and Haechan had started muttering nonsense everytime the other two looked at their direction; probably just to look at the teacher that was standing right in front of Jaemin, holding her cup of tea and blabbering about grims._

__

__

_«Did you hear that?» Haechan snorted, elbowing him and bringing him back to reality. «He's a freaking idiot, I swear.» that comment was undoubtely directed against Mark. Jaemin rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. He didn't care that Mark Lee had just said something incredibly stupid in front of everyone, he only wondered how could Haechan still deny his feelings toward said gryffindor. The brunette sure acted like he hated the guy's guts, his stupid voice and perfect chiseled hair in front of everyone, but to Jaemin it was painfully obvious that he liked - no, he was obsessed - with Mark. Truth was, Haechan had already realized that he was attracted to the Quidditch commentator - especially after that episode at the Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop - but he kept refusing to acknowledge and face his feelings because of his so-called pride. Jaemin recalled that day with unmixed delight, grinning slightly at the memory of Haechan's embarassing reaction, at the sight of Mark drinking and flirting shamelessly with a girl from their House. He giggled unconsciously loud, then realised Haechan had been calling him for five minutes._

_«Earth to Jaemin. Are you even listening to me?» Haechan scowled offended when he noticed that his friend hadn't been listening to his whole conversation on how dumb Jeno and Mark are. «Is it Renjun again?» He inquired, giving him one of his signature lopsided grin and rasing his eyebrows as to say 'don't you dare denying it'. Jaemin clenched his jaw and forced a smile._

__

__

_«Consider yourself lucky. If you weren't my friend I'd have killed you long time ago.» He threatened, causing Haechan to snicker and draw the teacher's attention onto them._

_«What's so funny Mr Lee? Do you mind sharing with rest of the class?» the teacher gave him a stern look and subtracted five points from his House, causing every slytherin in the room to complain outloud about Haechan not being able to keep his mouth shut. Jaemin grinned and leaned forward to whisper something into his friend's ear. Haechan winced, eyebrows knitted together as he slapped the palm of his hand violently against his bestfriend's back._

__

__

_«Aw fuck you Na Jaemin!» he growled. Professor Trelawney stopped whatever she was trying to do with that porcelain tea cup in her hands and cleared her troat, shooting a menacing glare toward Haechan to shut him up once again again. The brunette grimaced and crossed his arms in annoyance, mouting something about wanting to kill Jaemin once divination ends. The other snickered silently, hoping the teacher wouldn't pay attention to him and scold him too; unbeknownst to him, both Jeno and Mark were staring at their direction and this time it wasn't for the teacher._

_**_

_«I'll see you next week, remember to work on you Inner Eye.» Professor Trelawney's voice, and the others' student muffled responses, echoed in Jaemin's ears as he started packing his things silently and gave a quick look at his timetable. 10:45 - 12:15 Herbology. He'd been spending more than hour thinking loudly about what to tell Renjun if he were to met him and stand next to him in class. He didn't want to upset the other even more than he already was, but he still wanted to talk to him. He'd given up with the love potion thing - Haechan told him to forget about it for now - and was planning to tell Renjun how truly sorry he felt about fucking things up between them._

_«Jaemin. Are you coming or not?» Haechan's high-pitched voice drilled his eardrums and snapped him out of his thoughts. Turning around he found his friends, both Donghyuck and Chenle, staring at him with puzzled looks and their lips pressed together in worry and confusion. Jaemin didn't even realise the younger had joined them. He shook his head and smiled faintly._

__

__

«Yeah, yeah sure. I'm sorry I was just...» Chenle stopped him mid-sentence, raising an hand in front of the older's face as to shut him up. Jaemin frowned and stopped in the middle of the North Tower's staricase.

 _«Hyung! You gotta stop.» Stated the smaller, the brunette next to him nodding in agreement and adding something himself. «It's not gonna help Jaemin. You are just overthinking it again...» the concern in his voice made the pink haired slytherin a bit uncomfortable. He knew that Haechan being serious about something, especially involving one of his bestfriend's behaviour, meant that things were worsening and everyone could see it. Jaemin pondered about it. The way he looked and talked to others had slightly changed during the past weeks and things such as avoiding people's eyes were a bit out of his character, since for the others he was still the overconfident beater of slytherin. He'd never lowered his head once in his life, not since Renjun had told him off and actually disappeared from him life. Sure they'd seen each other in class almost everyday, but they never talked not locked eyes and smiled at each other as he wished them to do. He felt something had broken inside of him. Maybe it was his ego, maybe his heart, or maybe both._

_«It's...it's not that.» He half-lied, making Haechan scoff in annoyance._

__

__

«Oh, please. You don't even know how to lie anymore, Jaemin...» He observed throwing the green and silver scarf around his neck and then started walking again, the others following him from a few steps behind. «It's obvious that something is up, and it's even more obvious it is about a certain... You-Know-Who.» Chenle muttered something about that being a stupid mick name to give to Renjun, and Haechan elbowed him in the ribs causing the smaller to choke on his split. 

_«Jaemin, it's been almost two months and an half. Just talk to him again today. Clear things up and see what happens.» The brunette suggested attempting a encouraging smile._

_«It'd be useless.» He replied in a toneless voice, completely discouraged at the thought of exchanging some words with the prefect of ravenclaw. «I tried to reach out to him but he had just shut me down. He doesn't even look at me, how would he want to listen to me...» he added lowly, torturing his lower lip. The conversation ended there. Haechan and Chenle exchanging worried glances as they had no idea what to said to make their friend feel slightly better. Guilt filling their hearts as they felt useless for being unable to cheer their friend up, like everyone else seemed to be able to do. Haechan tried to change the topic into something lighter and announced that he was going to skip herbology class, because professor Flitwick had decided to give him detention after his last stunt during Charms._

Jaemin seemed to appreaciate the change and started acting like normal, Chenle looking at the two of them from behind and sighing out of frustration. How many heartbreaks had he witnessed or experienced? He didn't know much about Haechan's love life, since he seemed to hate pretty much everyone he laid eyes on, but Chenle himself was the perfect example of an unrequited love. He'd been looking at Jisung with puppy eyes for months, made it obvious that he liked him as more than a friend, but the other never looked at him back the same way. The affectionate "I love yous" Chenle had thrown in his direction meant more than Jisung ever thought. The gryffindor never read between the lines; so either he simply didn't care or he knew but acted like he didn't not to ruin their newborn friendship. Given so, who was Chenle to teach Na Jaemin to forget someone he cared about? Heck, probably even love, considering how much the older was hurting. Jaemin didn't seem to realize that, but maybe that was for the best. 

_«Do you think there's going to be chicken today, too?» Haechan's voice echoing in the corridor as they were waiting for the stairs to change places. Chenle scoffed and grinned in amusement. «You idiot. Six years at Hogwarts and you still don't remember that the elves cook chicken every single day.»_

_**_

_«I think I'll head to class guys.» Jaemin announced standing up and grabbing all of his books, placing them under his left arm and smiling confidently. Haechan looked up at him from the Slytherin table and tilted his head, unsure if he should ask Jaemin if he wanted to walk him to class or something. The pink haired boy seemed to read his mind and smiled fondly. He felt lucky to have such friends as Donghyuck and Chenle._

_«Don't worry for me idiot. I'm fine.» He declared. «It's true» he added seeing how Haechan had knitted his brows and gave him a 'do you think I'm that dumb' look. He then walked out and headed straight to the greenhouse, finding a bunch of ravenclaws loitering in front of the entrance once he got there. They were muttering something about dangerous plants with fangs and they looked pretty worried, so Jaemin approached them and asked what was going on._

_«We've heard there's going to be a lesson about Venomous Tentaculas today.» Explained one of the girls, Eunmi, whilst playing with the hem of her uniform out of nervousness. Jaemin remembered her, she was the girl who asked him out about two years ago. «I heard they're very poisonous. Fatal, even. I hope professor Sprout knows what she's doing. She's getting old and I'm worried she won't be able to cast a spell on the plants if they start attacking us.» The rest of the small group started whispering in agreement. Jaemin rose an eyebrow and parted his lips as to say something back, when a familiar voice interrupted the conversation._

__

__

«Don't be ridiculous, Venomous Tentaculas' attacks are easy to counter, even for us. A simple severing charm would do so, if I were you, I wouldn't expect professor Sprout to intervene and work on my reflexes.» Renjun explained in a monotone voice, standing a few feet from Jaemin and completely ignoring the other's presence. The ravenclaws stared at him, a mixture of relief and embarassment creeping on their faces as they moved to the side and let the prefect walk past them. The girl Jaemin was talking to before let a sigh escape her lips, the slytherin detecting an hint of yearning as she was looking intently at the blonde's back. 

_«At least we've got Renjun to watch over us.» She said dreamingly. Jaemin's eyes narrowed as he felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach and his ears grow hot for no reason in particular. Before hearing any other comment, he stepped forward shoving the students out of his way and stormed inside._

_Jaemin spent an entire hour staring at nothingness, completely unbothered by the screams of the several students that were being attacked by the spiky and eyeless heads with pointy fangs. Their vines wrapping around the victims' bodies, tightening the grasp as the tried to bite a bunch of students whilst strangling them. When Renjun intervened, Jaemin's eyes shifted quickly on him. The prefect chanted a "Diffindo" and split the plants' heads apart. In that very moment Professor Sprout rushed back into the room. She'd left them alone for less than two minutes and in that timeframe, a group of slytherin had started playing around with the venomous plants without thinking of the consequences. She congratulated with Renjun for his alertness and added a few points to his House; Jaemin looking at the scene from a far and averting his gaze as Renjun happened to look right at his direction._

__

__

_«Oh! Look at the time!» exclaimed the teacher after checking on her pocket watch. The students realised that an hour had already passed by and started grabbing their bags and hurried out to the Great Hall to have lunch. Jaemin stretched out a smile as some slytherins had approached him to ask him how was Quidditch practice going and what happened to Donghyuck. The pinked haired boy sighed and told them that Mr Flitwick had sent Haechan to detention because during Charm he'd accidentally casted a spell onto Mr Flich stupid cat. The guys burst out laughter and waved him goodbye, leaving him all by himself. Or so he thought, until Huang Renjun walked up to him and cleared his throat, causing Jaemin to miss an heartbeat._

_«Hey.» He asserted firmly._

_«Hey...» Jaemin twitched as, all of the sudden, he felt extremely aware of the other's gaze on him. He had noticed Renjun glancing at him from time to time thorughout the lesson, eyes shifting back and forth between Jaemin and the plant in front of him, which threatened to bite him for being distracted. The slytherin thought it was all in his mind. There was no way Huang Renjun, the guy who had been avoiding any form of interation with him for the past three months, had decided to talk to him, willingly. He pressed his lips together, an hint of a smile on his face as he noticed the ravenclaw was as equally embarassed as him. The soft red hue tinting the boy's soft cheeks, made Jaemin's stomach clench and little did he know, he had the same effect on Renjun._

__

__

_The ravenclaw hated the way Jaemin made him feel in that very moment. He was flustered, embarassed and mad at himself for not being able to keep distance from the slytherin. He'd spent months trying to forget how oddly nice it felt to receive compliments from the younger, or that tingling feeling spreading all over his body everytime the other smiled despite being insulted or rejected by him. There was something in the way Jaemin used to look at him, with those eyesmiles filled with admiration and fondness, that had made him feel warm and fuzzy. He thought he could trust someone for once, but the day the slytherin had walked up to him and told him the truth, something broke inside of him. His trust and all those feelings had dulled, turning into contempt and disapproval everytime they locked eyes. However, he had to give it to Jaemin for being honest, at least._

_Renjun had tortured himself since their last conversation, wondering why Jaemin had suddenly decided to reveal his true intentions. What was he trying to achieve? How did he expected Renjun to react after hearing that he'd been lied to for weeks? And all because of a love potions. Did he think he would just laugh it off and accept to help him? Or maybe. Just maybe. He wanted to come clean because he felt bad for playing with his feelings. What if he started to care, in the end? If he doesn't talk to him, he'll never know._

__

__

_Those doubts clouded the ravenclaw's mind for days, weeks, months. He started wondering whether he should, at least, try talking to the slytherin and sort things out once and for all; but every time he did, Renjun's pride hurt and he felt upset with himself, for letting the slytherin's words get under his skin. He needed to do something or the whirlwind of confusing emotions would have driven him crazy. Most days he felt like punching Na Jaemin in the face with all of his strenght, others, he felt lonely and wished he'd never known the truth. It was weird because he'd never thought he would miss the slytherin's presence, especially since they have never been friends. Even when they still talked to each other, they'd only share some words during classes, nothing more, but maybe Renjun secretely cherished those moment's in the back of his mind. Sure there were still Mark, Jeno and Jisung taking a good portion of Renjun's free time, between lessons and chattering, but they weren't that close either and he didn't really want to bother them by talking about those kinds of - embarassing - things. He enjoyed spending time with them because they made him forget about Jaemin, everything the slytherin was unconsciously making him going through; and he didn't want to ruin that._

**

 

«I need to talk to you.» asserted the ravenclaw, his voice calm despite the slighty visible tremble of his lips. Jaemin dropped his books down and stared back at him, eyes flickering with confusion whilst Renjun awaited for a response that never came.

«It's about that potion thing...» He added. Jaemin's mouth snapping shut as he had so many thoughts and questions rushing through his mind, but that he didn't have the courage to voice. Renjun raised two fingers and looked straight into Na Jaemin's eyes after weeks of silent treatment. The other staring back at him and nodding slowly, his Adam's apple bobbing as his instincts told him there was something off in the way the blond was gazing at him.

«I'll help you...» he declared in a firm voice. «...but on two conditions. First, I won't be the one getting the ingredients and brewing the potion. I'll just give you the instructions and prevent you from blowing up the school.» Jaemin's eyes widened, his blood rushing to his head and his fingers going numb. It took a few seconds for him to realize what he'd just heard and in that moment a warm feeling spread throughout his entire body, a smile forming on his lips. Renjun gave him a once-over and scoffed. «Second, after the Amorentia is done...» he paused «I won't talk to you ever again.» Jaemin's smile faltered and he couldn't understand why. He should have been happy, the ravenclaw had just accepted to help him brewing the potion he needed, so why he wasn't feeling any better? Why did he feel like there was a whole in his stomach and something stuck in his throat? 

«Why?» he managed to say without making his voice crack. Renjun raised his eyebrow and held a paper out for him. It was the list of the ingredients he needed for the potion, the prefect had been kind enough to write them all down. «Thank you.» he muttered, he would have liked to say more but he was scared to say something wrong and fuck everything up again. He wasn't good at expressing his feeling, especially those he wasn't used to. 

«Don't get me wrong. I'm not doing this for you, but because as prefect it's my responsability to keep an eye on you and see that the potion will be brewed correctly.» He clarified before Jaemin could get any weird ideas. Truth was, he'd thought about it for several days, analyzing the situation in every single detail and that seemed to be the much more sensible choice. Jaemin was going to do everything by himself and then disappear from Renjun's life, whilst the ravenclaw would keep his coscience clean. 

«I'll see you in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom. Next friday.» and after saying that, he headed out leaving Jaemin staring blankly ahead. 

 

**

 

«So what you're saying is... Renjun came up to you.»

«Yes.» 

«And then he told you that he is going to help you.» 

«That's exactly what I said.» Jaemin's voice got a bit higher as he tried to explain his bestfriend what the hell had just happened with Renjun. The two were sitting at the Slytherin table, eating their chicken wings and waiting for Chenle to show up; and in the meanwhile they were trying to understand to find out what made Renjun change his idea on the potion.

«Woah... and he gave you the list too.» the pink haired guy rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. 

«Yes. That too. I thought we'd be over that part, at least ten minutes ago.» he hissed. 

«It does make sense though...I mean, the "prefect's responsability" thing.» stated the brunette holding the fried wing with his thumb and index alone. «What I don't understand is, why you don't look happy about it. Isn't this what you wanted from the start?» he questioned raising an eyebrow, perfectly aware that Jaemin would never admit that the reason behind his sulky face, was the fact that Renjun told him that after the brewing they'll never talk to each other again. Jaemin looked down on his plate and started playing absentmindedly with his chicken leg, chewing on his bottom lip out of nervousness. 

«I don't know it's just... I don't know. Maybe it's because I haven't assimilated this whole situation yet.» He tried to guess, Haechan getting even more frustrated. Jaemin was really dense when it came to his emotions, probably because he'd never put them at good use. 

«Yeah... sure...» he sighed and rolled his eyes heavenward. «Anyway, what are you going to do now?» Jaemin shot him a confused glance. 

«About what?» Haechan let out an exasperated sigh and face palmed, startling the girl sitting next to him. «I'm asking you whether you're going to accept his offer or not. You know, nobody is forcing you to get that potion, it's just-» Jaemin opened his mouth to say something back but got interrupted by Chenle's stranged sobs as he sat next to him, head lowered to hide his face, as he muttered something uncomprehensible. Haechan and Jaemin glanced at each other, it was a rare sight, but they were pretty sure Chenle trying his best to keep himself from crying. The brunette dampened his lips uncertain of what to say, but there were no doubt on what - or who - caused their younger's friend despair. They raised their heads simultaneously and glared over the Gryffindor's table, scanning its entire lenght and burning holes into Park Jisung's head. 

«Chenle... do you want to talk about it?» Jaemin asked trying to be as tactful as he could. He didn't want to rub salt into the wound. It was already embarassing enough for his friend to be crying in the middle of the Great Hall, the least he could do was listen to him and try to cheer him up. Chenle shook his slowly, his fringe covered his eyes but the others could tell they were redder then they've ever been. Something bad must have happened, and suddenly, they didn't have the heart to ask. The minty haired boy sniffled and wiped away his tears before letting out a sigh, his lips trembling. 

«I-It's nothing...» his voice reduced to a wobbly whisper. Haechan snorted in annoyance and Jaemin pressed his lips into a thin line. He couldn't bear seeing his friend shedding tears and pouring his heart out because of someone else. 

«It's not "nothing" Chenle. I swear if it's Jisung's fault I'll fucking end him for good this tim-» Jaemin glared at him and kicked him in the shins. 

«You won't do anything Lee Donghyuck. We don't want to get into trouble again because you started a fight in the middle of the Great Hall.» He admonished, being the bigger person for once. Haechan was really hot-tempered and the only person that could stop him when he got angry was Jaemin. On the contrary, the person that irritated him the most was Mark Lee, the very own gryffindor that was now looking at their table with that signature goony look of his.

«He deserves it though! Look at Chenle and tell me you don't do punch that lanky little orange prick right on the face.» He hissed, turning the attention of half of the table toward him. Jaemin stretched out a reassuring smile and waved them off, then he lowered his voice and tried to explain Haechan why he wasn't going to do shit squat about nothing. 

«You can't simply walk up to the gryffindors' table and punch one of them without a proper explanation. Besides, you don't even know what happened, so don't draw your conclusions yet.» He surprised himself after saying that. Since when he'd become such an icon of wisdom and maturity? The brunette snorted and rested his head on his palm. 

Chenle gathered up his courage, wiped away his tears and then tried to explain himself. «It's nothing, its stupid... I...I came out to Jisung and when he didn't say anything... I...» he sniffled weakly. «Then he said he didn't know what to say and... and I panicked and run away...then I-I started crying and... and...» Jaemin rested an hand on the younger's small back and started drawing circles with his fingers. It wouldn't calm him down completely, but he hoped showing some affection would be better than doing nothing. «It's okay Chenle, just...» his word died in his throat when the other looked up at him and attemped a smile.

«It's---o-okay hyung. I'm j-just a bit s-shocked...that's a-all.» He whimpered, making Haechan clench his fists out of anger and frustration. «I-I just need some time to...alone. I-I'll go up to my room if you don't mind.» Jaemin nodded and smiled kindly, for real this time, and fixed the younger's hair as he stood up from his seat. 

«Of course not, just...do whatever helps you feel better.» He said in an embarassed tone. He didn't really know what else to say. It wasn't the first time he'd seen one of his friends cry, but as he wasn't used to show his emotions that way, therefore had no idea on how to act around someone who was crying right in front of him. Chenle sniffled one last time before thanking his hyungs and storming away.

Jaemin looked over to Haechan and found him staring at Chenle's full plate, eyes full of worry, «He didn't touch his food.» he stated locking eyes with Jaemin. The other bit his lip and simply nodded. At times like those he wished he'd known what to do, but neither him nor Haechan were that good when it came to talk about feelings. «You know...» the brunette began, running an hand through his hair.

«I think we may need that Amorentia now.»


	4. Teatime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaemin and Renjun spend some time together.  
> Memories of a nice snowy day rush back.  
> Jeno finally get things done (thanks to Mark) and Jaemin realizes something important ♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank every single one of you for reading, giving kudos and commenting on my story ^^ it just warms my heart up and really helps me going on writing :) ♥ You are wonderful ♥
> 
> Honestly this took less than I expected (I'm pretty sure the next chapter is going to take much longer, but I promise to try my best) and I know the writing might not be as good(?) as in the previous ones, but I hope you'll enjoy it nevertheless ♥ 
> 
> Please let me know if there are any typos ^^u

X.

 

Jaemin was sitting on the cold and wet tiles of the second floor bathroom; a knife in his hand and a weirdly shaped red egg in the other. In front of his legs was placed a cauldron filled with bubbles of pink juice and covered by a dense cloud of smoke that was almost completely blocking the view. He sneezed, drawing Renjun's attention away from his Ancient Runes textbook without even noticing. He then proceeded into queezing the little ashwinder egg and dropping it inside the pot, after that he poured half bottle of refined pepper mint oil and started stirring the mixture. «That didn't take long» he thought as he realised he was already halfway through the brewding and that it was only day one. Once the potion turned a bit darker and the bubbles grew bigger, he looked up and waited for Renjun to give him instructions. 

«Just let it boil for a few hours, then come back and turn off the fire.» the blonde said snapping his book closed. He clearly didn't want to be there but, as he had made sure to clarify when they met each other in the corridor, he agreed on doing that to make sure Jaemin wouldn't fuck up and send someone straight to Madam Pomfrey, in a jar.  
Jaemin nodded and stood up, an awkward smile formed on his lips as he walked up to Renjun and thanked him for the help. He didn't really know why he was being so embarassed about it. He wasn't the kind of person that stuttered when talking to someone, but the perspective of making the things between him and the ravenclaw even more awkward and difficult, made him be extremely wary of his words. The fact that the prefect was helping him was already a miracle, he couldn't afford to mess up by being the dick-head he always was. Also, a certain friend's love life kind of depended on it. Still, he was dying to know the real reason behind Renjun's decision to help him in the end. It was unlikely he'd decided to do so out of the goodness of his heart, but neither that "I'm a prefect, so it's my duty" sounded very much like an excuse. Of course that would stick to the ravenclaw's character, but the thought that there might be something else made him feel a bit fuzzy. 

Renjun's sarcastic tone while mentioning the missing ingredients snapped him out of his train of thoughts. «I thought you said the rose thorns were easy to find and so was the powered moonstone. Dervish and Banges is full of magical stuff and ingredients, but...did you really expected them to sell something so rare to you?» Jaemin noticed how hard the other was trying to maintain his stern look and then tilted his head and scratched the back of his head in embarassment. He had looked for those last two ingredients pretty much everywhere, but no one seemed to have, nor wanted to sell, them to him. He'd even tried asking his mother to send him some by post owl, but she had refused since he didn't want to tell her why on earth he would need powedered moonstone. Haechan had then suggested him to steal from the potion basement, but professor Wang kept the keys to himself and Jaemin couldn't hope to get his hands on them any time soon. He'd pondered whether to ask him directly for the ingredients, instead, since they were harmless, but then the teacher would have asked him to explain what they were for and he couldn't handle the embarrament to tell him he needed them to brew some amorentia. He must maintain what's left of his pride, after all. 

«I'm still working on it.» he claimed glancing back at the ravenclaw, clenching his teeth. It felt like Renjun was challenging him and relished in trying to humiliate him for not being able to do something that simple. Unbeknownst to him, Renjun's eyes were fixated on his profile, studying Jaemin's expressions with a ghost of a smile on his lips. Sure he hated the fact that he was wasting his time helping that asshole, but at least he was having a bit fun in doing so. In fact, he could go ask professor Wang for the ingredients at any time, explaining that he needed them to practice, but where was the fun in doing that? Watching Jaemin struggling to find something that a student wasn't allowed to buy, was rather amusing and satisfying; some sort of delightful revenge.

«Remember that it takes a few weeks for the potion to season. The longer you take to get the ingredients, the longer you friend needs to wait for the amorentia to be used.». The pink haired boy gave a nod of understanding and chanted an invisibility spell onto the caulron. «I'll come by later...» he announced glacing toward the shorter and wondering whether he should add the thing that had just crossed into his mind or not. Fuck it. He knew he was going to test the waters sooner or later anyways, so why wait. He'd just have to mince words. «I'm guessing I'll see you again, next week?» A smile crossed his lips as the other took a bit of time to respond with a «Possibly. If you manage to get the ingredients by then.» Jaemin grinned at that, a warm feeling in his chest as he said goodbye to the other and headed back to his own common room. His obnoxiously loud friend Haechan was waiting for him half-way through the corridor and, after a quick exchange of zingers, the two of them decided talk over a cup of coffee. «And...for your own good - and mine too - try not to fuck up things with Renjun this time.» He said that jokingly, tapping on the taller shoulders with a grin, but Jaemin detected a note of seriousness in his tone. His friend's words kept lingering in the back of his mind, making him all flustered until they sat down and ordered two cups of americano. What the hell was happening to him?

 

**

 

A few hours later, Renjun was stitting all by himself in the Great Hall, waiting for his fellows gryffindors and checking out a list of instruments to buy for next week's Astrology assignment. His mind wandering toward the Slytherin's table, eyes locked on Na Jaemin's broad shoulders as the pink haired boy seemed to be too absorbed into a deep conversation with his bestfriend to notice he was staring. Dampening his lips, the blonde boy shifted his eyes back to the papers and added another couple of objects he had forgotten. 

«Whatcha doing Renjun boy?» Mark's voice sounded thrilled as he sat down next to Renjun with a big warm smile on his lips. The ravenclaw smiled back and sighed, pointing at the list in his hands and complaining about having to spend loads of money for the additional course he'd chosen. Jeno and Jisung made their appearence a few minutes later and sat across the table, chatting amongst themselves for a whole minute before saying hi back to Renjun. The prefect smiled warmly «You look ecstatic, what happened?» he asked whilst packing up his things to make some space to have a snack. It surprised him to see how much his social life had changed during the last months, all thanks to Mark and his friends.  
The older started blabbering about having been selected as one of the official commentators of the Gryffindor vs Slytherin's match in april, but Renjun couldn't seem to focus on his words as his eyes shifted back to the Slytherin's table and rested on a certain pink haired boy's back. Jaemin was smiling, laughing wholeheartedly at something that Chenle had just told him, the younger was pouting annoyed and Donghyuck took that chance to tell one of his obnoxious jokes.  
«...Also, Jisung's got his first E [Exceeds Expectations] in History of Magic today.» Jeno added smiling proudly and ruffling his younger friend's hair. Renjun looked so out of it and the others noticed that lost expression of his and started questioning. «Is everything okay Injun?» Mark sounded a bit worried and Renjun glanced back at him, smiled faintly and shaking his head. «It's fine, I'm just tired. I've been up all night studying for my Alchemy test... I couldn't focus well and it took more time than I thought...» he explained, his gaze shifted unconsciously toward the slytherins' direction, once again. Jisung followed his eyes and took a sip of his pumpkin juice, the sight of Chenle caused him to choke on his own split, but when the others asked him what happened he shrugged it off with an hoarse: «Everything's fine». He then muttered something beneath his breath which the others ignored. 

«You should take care of yourself. Sleep deprivation isn't good for your health.» Jeno intervened, grabbing an handful of chips and shoving them inside his mouth in the process. Renjun gave him a faint smile, feeling a sudden warm spreading all over his face, and shrugged. «Thanks for worrying about me, but it's just a though week... I'll be back as soon as the mid-term exams are done.» He replied with a giggle, stealing a croissant from the bowl in front of him and splitting it in half with a butter knife before filling its inside with chocolate cream. Jeno smiled fondly and lifted the teapot, pouring some rooibos tea in his cup and asking the others if they wanted too. «Yes, thank you.» Renjun passed his empty cup to him, smiling as the honey brown haired boy giggled an amused «Of course you do.».  
Jeno's hair looked softer than usual, he noted before blowing on his tea and dipping one of his vanilla biscuits inside. «You really like tea.» observed the gryffindor, eyes wandered down to get a glimpse of the blonde's soft lips. Jeno bit the insides of his mouth out of embarassment and looked back into the other's eyes. «What's your favourite flavour?» he asked. Renjun pursed his lips and considered his answer, but before he could say anything, a deep familiar voice spoke up for him. 

«Jasmine. He likes Jasmine tea the most.» The voice stated, a note of amusement and - could it be, affection? - that caused Renjun to feel a shiver run down his spine. He froze and looked up, meeting Jaemin's pretty crescents and signature smile. He felt like dying a little on the inside, especially when he felt his friends' stares on him. They were obviously wondering why on earth would Na Jaemin even know about that, but thank God they didn't dare to ask. Renjun tried his best not to get lost in his own thoughts, but failed as he lowered his gaze on the tiny porcelain cup in his hands and got instantly reminded of that snowy day he and Jaemin had spent roughly two hours chatting in the Study Hall. 

 

**

_It happened somewhere around the 15th of december. The Study Hall was completely empty at that time because most of the students had started packing their things up for the holidays, and Renjun was enjoying that rare moment of silence. Madam Pince had asked him to keep an eye at her desk, just in case a student would have walked in while she was gone. The Headmaster had asked for her, but the woman didn't have the heart to kick the prefect out whilst he was right in the middle of his studying session, so she handed him the key and promised him to be back in a matter of minutes. She even allowed him to use her kettle if he felt like drinking tea during the wait and Renjun didn't need to be asked twice. He ran toward the desk right after she had left and started boiling enough water to quench the thirst of an entire army of wizards. As he started looking through the box of infuses, searching frantically for his favourite one, a student walked in and cleared his throat to get his attention. When he turned around, he met eyes with Na Jaemin, standing in front of the librarian desk with a bunch of books in his arms and a surprised smile on his face._

_«Hi.» He greeted with a rather awkward mutter._

_«Hey, I didn't expect to find you here. I'd like to return these books but...» the slytherin scanned the room, looking for the old witch, but as he assured she wasn't there, he turned back to Renjun and widened his smile. «It seems like Madam Pince isn't here at the moment.». Renjun nodded and explained why she'd left, then reached out an hand for the books in Jaemin's hands and told him he would take care of it._

_«Oh. That'd be nice, thank you Injunnie.» Jaemin said handing them over to him with a note of excitement in his voice. Renjun coughed out of embarassment - he didn't like the nickname the pink haired boy had just given to him - and placed the books on the desk, then he kneeled down and started looking for the library records Madam Pince had showed him a while before. Jaemin leaned over the table and slyly eyed at the outline of Renjun's butt, snickering at the other's puzzled expression when he stood up again. The slytherin would never say that outloud, but he had to admit that the ravenclaw had a good asset. **Not that it mattered to him.** The blonde sighed: «It's gonna take a few minutes. You sure you don't mind waiting?» he asked, lowkey hoping that Jaemin would just leave him alone. His presence alone made him feel uncomfortable, no matter how many times they'd talked or sat together in class. _

_Jaemin studied his expression, trying to read his thoughts and grinned confidently. «Nah, I don't have much to do, anyways.» Renjun dampened his lips and started filling up the documents in silence, but the sound of the pen grazing on the rough sheet of paper and the deafening sound of his own heartbeat were driving him crazy. The pink haired boy had that kind of effect on him, being all touchy and flirtatious despite knowing how much he despised those things, and Renjun hated it. He had to do something before he'd burst out._

_The ravenclaw cleared his throat and drew Jaemin's attention back on him. «I thought you said you wanted to pack your things up before the end of the week.» He asserted, his eyes never leaving the register as he felt the other's stare on him. The slytherin chuckled and cooed «Aw, so you do listen to me. I'm flattered.» he mocked, the ravenclaw's face turning into a livid red. «Of course I do. I tend to listen when someone is talking to me.» He scoffed, sounding rather offended by the other's statement._

_«Relax, I was just kidding.» Jaemin said, clicking his tongue in a childishly way. «You take everything I say way too seriously, Injunnie.» the blonde boy snorted loudly at the nickname and ordered the other to quit calling him like that. «Only my closest friends and my parents can call me that.»he declared. Jaemin pouted and pressed an hand against his chest, faking an heart attack «Ouch, that hurt. There I thought we were close friends already.» he said cracking his voice on purpose. Renjun rolled his eyes heavenward «I never said we aren't-» he muttered before realizing what the other had just said. Hearing it outloud sounded weirder than it was in his own mind. Jaemin was his friend. Since when? They'd known eachother for barely two months and the slytherin had already given him a pet name and called him a close friend._  
Jaemin's face lit up upon hearing his words «aw, that's my Injunnie» he cooed, pinching the other's cheeks against his will, and catching him totally off guard. Renjun backed away and furrowed his brows, the tips of his ears were on fire. «Cut it out» he repeated. Jaemin puckered up his lips and whined.  
«I thought you liked it.» he said, propping his chin in the palm of his right hand and tilting his head slightly. «I like it. It's cute, like you.» Jaemin's flirty tone made Renjun crave for instant death. The slytherin bursted into laughter and the ravenclaw had to restrain himself from throwing a book against the other's face. If it was true that Jaemin was his friend, he was a really shitty one. 

_«You should have seen your face!» said the pink haired boy, slapping his hand on the wooden surface of the desk. Renjun scoffed. «You're annoying.» he stated holding onto the last book and writing down a few more things. «But you love me» Jaemin added in a playful tone. «I most certaintly do not. Are you always this annoying to you friends?» asked the shorted. Jaemin scratched his chin as if he was thinking deeply about it. «Chenle thinks so, he says I'm too clingy sometimes; but Haechan likes it a lot when I play around with him. We just have that kind of relationship you know...» he explained.  
«No I don't.» Renjun cut him off. «I don't like people touching me, not even my friends.» he added. Jaemin was about to say something back, when the tea kettle started whistling loudly, signalling that the water was ready. Renjun cursed under his breath, hoping Jaemin wouldn't ask him where that sound came from but- «Isn't that Madam Pince's kettle?» the boy asked looking around the room and catching a glimpse of the box of infuses. Renjun panicked. «Is that tea?» Jaemin pointed at the little tea bags and grabbed one of them. _

_«Jaemin I really think you should-» the slytherin cut him off before he could ask him to leave and asked him if he could join him. «I'd love some tea right about now. Outside it's freaking cold and I ran out of hot chocolate.» he complained. «Also, my friends forbid me to drink another cup of coffee today. They say I might die for good if I drink more then 8 cups a day. I call that bullshit but still, I don't want them to- » There, Renjun thought. He had known him for a couple of month, at most, but even he knew that whenever Jaemin started talking, there was no way of stopping him. No way, except him._  
«Alright, alright I got it. Just...sit down and shut up.» he ordered pointing at the table were he was sitting half an hour before and gesturing Jaemin to sit down. «No wonder your friends told you to quit drinking coffee. If this is you after 8 cups, I don't want to imagine you after more. I'd probably throw you off a building.» He declared setting the table and pouring the boiled water in the two little cups. Jaemin giggled cutely and grabbed a tea bag from the box.  
Renjun sat down, in front of him and asked him to pass him a bag of Jasmine tea when he was done. «Sure, what color?» he asked. «Yellow.» replied the prefect, reaching out an hand when the pink haired boy said he'd found it. 

_They drank in silence, enjoying the warmt and cozyness of tea filling up their bellies. Jaemin seemed to have calmed down a bit and Renjun could let out a sigh of relief. He liked the boy's company, but sometimes - most of the times, actually - he was a bit too much. The ravenclaw liked quiet people, the kind that enjoys sitting in silence, reading and drinking tea; and Jaemin was nothing like that. Even now he looked like he was dying to talk gibberish, however, despite being obnoxiously loud, touchy ad flirty, Renjun had grown to like him over time. It'd been a while since the last time he'd made a friend and before talking to Jaemin, he didn't even remember what it felt like. Maybe, just maybe, they could put their differences aside and be friends._

 

**

 

Renjun never thought that day would be particularly worthy to remember, but somehow the subtle mention of that moment of friendly intimacy in the library, made him feel nolstagic. He'd be lying to himself if he said that he hadn't missed Jaemin's annoyingly flirty attitude the days after he decided to end their friendship. As a matter of fact, he had an hard time ignoring the other as everything around him, including his friends, constantly reminded him of the slytherin. Renjun blamed his own coscience at first, which kept dwelling on the infamous love potion that had ruined everything he had build, or rather demolished, just to let Jaemin peek through. Those walls, he didn't intentionally let them down; it just sort of happened because the slytherin's presence made him feel safe, somehow, and that was something he'd never had the courage to admit.  
The reason why he took unhealthy the decision to help the slytherin out with the Amorentia, was partly because of his sense of responsability, but he also thought that by doing that, he'd finally stop torturing himself with what ifs and maybes. Renjun wasn't dumb. He knew there was something different, a new unknown feeling blossoming deep inside of him. Something he'd never experienced before but that he was willing to discover. However, confronting Jaemin turned out to be the worst choice he could have made. It only led him into a deeper confusion. 

«Uhm yes, that's about right.» He declared averting his gaze to recollect his thoughts before asking the other what he wanted. «Why are you here, Jaemin?» He tried to sound as unmoved as he could, but he was honestly surprised - and fluttered - that the slytherin remembered something like that. Jaemin seemed to notice and let a little smirk slip on his lips before going back, straight to the point. «I was simply passing by and happened to overhear your conversation, that's all.» He stated nonchalantly. The ravenclaw raised a brow «Is that all?» he asked unconvinced. Jaemin grinned widely. «Oh! And I also wanted to thank you again for helping me out with that thingy...» he added. Jeno's eyes darted between the two, an handful of questions roaming in his mind. Renjun was too busy dealing with the whirlwind of conflicted emotions inside his own body to pay attention to him, but his annoyed expression didn't go unnoticed and, seeing that both of their friends had frozen on their spots, Mark and Jisung took the lead of the situation. 

«How is Slytherin's quidditch team doing so far, Na?» the older asked in a rather challenging tone. Everyone knew that the only thing that could piss off a Slytherin to the point of leaving the conversation, was mentioning their recently lost quidditch games. Jaemin's grin turned into an annoyed grimace, and that's when Lee Donghyuck joined the conversation and started bickering with his self-proclaimed nemesis «It's none of your damn business Lee.» he said, his voice hissing between his teeth. Mark raised en brow and scoffed. «I' pretty sure it is. The last match is Gryffindor vs Slytherin, after all. Your captain better add some hours to your team's training.» Mark added in an innocent-like tone. If Jisung didn't know his hyung any better, he'd have thought he was genuinely concerned about the slytherins' scores. «You better suggest that to your own captain, loser.» retorted the other, no need to conceal his scorn for the gryffindor's commentator. 

On the outside, there was nothing personal going on between Donghyuck and Mark, just the usual competition between students of the two most problematic houses. However, the both of them - and their closest friends - new that there was something else, something more personal, to be fighting about. Jaemin might have not completely realized that yet, but Jeno and him were up against each other, and it wasn't about winning a quidditch match. 

«Would you quit acting like children? Everyone's watching us.» the note of irritation in Renjun's voice made them realize they were arguing in the middle of the Great Hall. Every single student was looking at them, like they were some sort of sideshow, and Renjun felt incredibly aware of the stares directed at him for being the only person "allowed" to sit amongst some of the most popular sixth graders of the institute and take part of their conversation. He'd address to it as a curse rather than blessing, but that wasn't the time to discuss about it. At those words Donghyuck and Mark withdrawned, the first stepping back and pulling Jaemin away from the gryffindor's table without saying goodbye; while the second sat back on his chair and knitted his brows in annoyance.

At that point Renjun stood up and excused himself. He couldn't take any of it anymore.

 

***

 

XI.

 

«You gotta do something man, and you need do that quickly.» Mark pointed out after letting out a sigh of exasperation. Jisung settled himself next to him on the floor and pursed his lips, nodding in agreement as to emphatize his understanding of the gravity of the situation. Jeno rubbed his forehead and whole face with both hands, trying to hide the tint of red spreading onto his cheeks. It was almost midnight and Mark had invaded his and Jisung's room, claiming that he wanted to talk about something over a drink or two. He was tempted to call it off, but eventually gave in as the older had already started pouring the Dragon Scale into tiny glasses. By the look of it, it was going to be a long night. 

«I bet that slytherin is planning something nasty. They always do.» added the black haired gryffindor with a slur, gulping down his third shot of liquor. Jisung wrinkled his nose in disgust and scoffed. «Stop saying that like you actually mean it.» he said pouring the contents of his glass inside Mark's and pouting innocently after that.  
«What do you mean?» the older raised a brow and leaned threatengly toward the younger. Jeno glanced at him, his eyes were twinkling with mirth and a sardonic smile on his lips as he interpreted the taller's words «I think he's talking about you throwing heart eyes to Lee Donghyuck» Jeno said, making Jisung snigger at the comment. Mark whipped his head around and glared at his friend with a look of betrayal «the only thing I'm going to throw a punch at him. and don't look at me like that Park Jisung.» The lanky orange haired boy rolled his eyes and folded his arms, leaning against the soft mattress of Jeno's bed.

«Anyways, what was I talking about?» he slurred, holding up a finger in confusion. The Dragon Scale's effect started kicking in and he almost lost his balance. «Na Jaemin» muttered Jisung, busying himself by fixing his fringe. Mark snapped his fingers in 

«Right. Na Jaemin.» he said before turning to Jeno and pointing his index at the other's sternum. «You need to do something, or else he'll fuck things up between you and Renjun.» he noted. «That beater is as popular and good-looking as you are and I'm pretty sure he's got a thing for ur ravenclaw. Sure, Renjun said they aren't friends anymore, but that doesn't mean they can never make up. Jaemin might have been a dick but he's very good with words. He'll be always one step ahead of you» he analyzed the situation and, despite being drunk, he seemed to have managed to read through Jaemin's thoughts pretty well. Maybe even better than the slytherin himself.  
«And what the heck you want me to do about it?» Jeno complained. Mark's mouth curved into a sly smile, pulling his friend into an hug and clicking his tongue in a rather sassy way. «Jeno, my friend...» he sasserted, Jisung buried his face in his hands and tried to keep himself from giggling. «There's only one thing you can do to speed things up.» he paused and Jeno felt the intense desire of kicking him. 

«You need to get yourself a date.»

 

***

 

Renjun stared at the paper in front of him for a whole five minutes, his eyebrows drawn together as he focused on reading the last two paragraphs of Jeno's DATDA presentation. «Not bad Jeno. You still have to work on some practical things but...as long as it concerns writing, you have improved a lot since our last lesson.» He sounded pretty proud and couldn't help but smile in contentment. Jeno let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and ran an hand through is honey brown hair, smiling back.  
«I guess I should thank the teacher for that...» the gryffindor said, eyes shifting from his lips back to his eyes for a brief moment. Renjun was beautiful, he always was, but that day Jeno felt the urge to grab the ravenclaw's face with both of his hands and kiss him; without a warning. Truthfully, he'd never have the courage to do something like that. 

«I sure helped, but you did the most by yourself.» Renjun said in a soft voice, handing the papers back to the gryffindor with unnatural grace and completely unaware of what was going on inside the other's mind. «...and you're a surprisingly fast learner. You just need a little motivation and an attentive teacher.» he said, a little embarassed since that could sound like he was praising himself. Jeno smiled and nodded dreamily. He loved the pleasant sound of Renjun's voice. He could listen to him talking for hours and never get tired of it; he would spend days looking at Renjun's pretty eyes and nose; and most certaintly, he'd spend years showering with kisses.

He was so screwed.

Ever since the day Jaemin had made it clear that he was interested in the ravenclaw, Jeno felt both his heart and head ache. He couldn't stop thinking. He was worried the slytherin would take Renjun away from him and kept wondering whether he should confess right away or just wait for the right moment; but he was a coward. Mark had obviously suggested to move quickly and ask Renjun out on a date, but Jeno had no idea how and when to ask. It never seemed to be the right moment.

«Jeno? You're still spacing out again... are you sure you've slept properly tonight?» the ravenclaw's voice sounded a bit worried as he leaned forward and waved an hand in front of the other's face. Jeno felt his ears grow hot and tried to hide his reddened cheeks by cupping them in his palms. «Oh! Yeah, I-I'm fine.» he stammered awkwardly, clearing his throat and fixing his tie knot. Renjun lifted an eyebrow and scanned the other's face, his narrowed eyes moved quickly as he was trying to understand what could have caused the gryffindor to stutter. «Mh..» he muttered under his breath «You've been acting weird since last week. You look more tired and awfully stressed over something...I guess I'll have to ask Mark if he knows something.» he mumbled unconvinced. Jeno's eyes widened in terror and that's how Renjun knew the gryffindor was hiding something. Threatening him with an "I'm gonna ask Mark" was usually incredibly effective, but that time seemed to have worked even better.  
«You know, I'm not stupid Lee Jeno.» he asserted folding his papers and using them as a bookmark for his transfiguration textbook. The soft smile painted on his pretty lips made Jeno's heart thumping inside his chest. «If there's something you need to tell me, just do it now.» he encouraged him to speak but there was no use. Jeno was, once again, lost in Renjun's eyes and into his own thoughts. He was afraid that asking the ravenclaw out on a date would ruin their... - whatever it is that it's going on between the two of them - and make him distance himself. However, that could be his only chance to get it all out and confess to the guy he was so desperately falling in love with. Mark was right, he needed to man up. 

In the meantime, Renjun was staring at Jeno with an unreadable expression. He wasn't a hundred percent sure of what the other was going to say, and if he would actually say it, but he had some ideas in mind. He wasn't as dense as he might have looked and he was pretty certain Jeno had some untold feelings he was embarassed about. He also guessed those feelings were directed toward him, considering how different the other acted around him, and the thought made him feel all warm and fuzzy. Jeno was undoubtely a nice, shy, pretty awkward and goofy guy when his friends were around, but when he was left alone with Renjun, everything got ten times worse. He'd start blushing, stuttering, giggling for no reason, and that clearly meant something. Also the fact that the ravenclaw had quickly caught him staring at his direction, day dreaming and smiling like an - adorable - dork, gave him away. It was so obvious that it hurt, but Renjun would never make the first move. It's not like he wasn't flattered to be Jeno's crush, and he wouldn't deny having had thougths on being romantically involved with the chaser, but the blonde boy was confused. He liked Jeno; like, a lot. He wasn't the type to rush things, especially love-things, but he might have liked Jeno more than a friend. The gryffindor was kind-hearted, caring, awkward, smart and handsome. Renjun felt at ease whenever he talked to Jeno - despite their endless moments of silence at the beginning of every tutoring lesson - and he enjoyed spending time with him; but there was something that kept him from being direct and ask Jeno if his suspicions were well-founded. Something that kept him from being the one asking Jeno out first; and that "something" was the very own Na Jaemin.  
The slytherin had managed to get so under his skin, after that day in the Great Hall, that Renjun feared that deep down, he was growing feelings for him. Everytime he was left alone and let his thoughts wander, Jaemin's delicate features and pretty smile would permeate and contaminate his mind, making his cheeks blush madly. He wanted to hate the slytherin's guts, like he was used to do with the people who had lied to him, but he just couldn't; and he hated the way he felt. Jeno would be so much better. He'd be perfect for him and Renjun knew the gryffindor liked him too, probably even more than he did. So why couldn't he just go to Jeno? 

«Injun-I-I mean, Renjun. I wanted to ask you something...uhm» Jeno cleared his throat and swallowed hard, beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he grinned nervously and tried his best not to blush. He failed, but Renjun was kind enough not to point that out. The gryffindor's eyes quivered as he parted his lips to say something, but the words died in his throat as son as his eyes locked with the ravenclaw's. Renjun started biting his nails, a forced smile fill with uncertainty as he didn't know how to respond to the question - any question - Jeno was trying so hard to get out. Should he accept and see how things evolve, or should he...  
«Iwanntedtoaskyouifyouwantedtogooutwithme.» the ravenclaw blinked in shock. He'd never heard anyone talk that fast before and that made him giggle on the inside. Jeno was indeed one of the shiest boys alive. «Uhm...I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that?» he said in a confused - fake - tone, leaning in to supposedly "hear better". Jeno looked like he almost had an heart attack, but gathered his courage and tried to speak slower. «I...uhm...I w-wanted to ask you if...uhm... you wanted to go...out? ...with me?» he asked stumbling over his words and lowering his gaze.  
Renjun stood there in silence for a bunch of seconds - that felt more like hours to the gryffindor - and dampened his lips. «I-I...I mean like a friends thing, you know...» Jeno didn't dare to finish that sentence, regretting everything he'd just said. Upon hearing those words outloud Renjun panicked. He didn't want Jeno to think he didn't want to go on a date with him but, he also knew he wasn't ready for an actual date, or thinking further ahead, even a kiss. He thought of Jaemin too and felt his stomach clench in a knot. He started chewing on his bottom lip, until he felt the bitter taste of iron, and then looked up and stared at Jeno. Renjun's expression softened as he noticed how tense the other was and how cute he looked with those reddened cheeks. Renjun swallowed and stretched out a smile. «Why not.» he thought. Hopefully, going out with Jeno would help him get those wrenching feelings he had every time he looked at Jaemin, out of his head, and also help him sort out his feelings for Jeno. One date wouldn't hurt. Would it?  
«I'll go.» he said after a good amount of reasoning. He managed to make his voice sound gentle and firm at the same time but, the sigh of relief that followed, betrayed his intention. Luckily enough Jeno seemed not to notice. He stood there, frozen in place and with hiw eyes opened wide. 

«I-I...» Jeno seemed to have lost his ability to speak and it took a lot of mental strenght fr Renjun, not to burst into laughter. Jeno's face turned completely red, his lips trembling as he couldn't believe Renjun had just accepted to go out. On a date. With him.

«Oh my God.» he muttered in disbelief.

 

**

 

«So, how did it go?» Mark questioned, a note of sarcasm in his tone as he looked at his friend smiling widely by his side. It obviously ended well considering Jeno's idiotic day-dreaming smile, but the older gryffindor needed to hear him saying that outloud. The younger hesitated, feeling slightly embarassed as he still couldn't believe that Renjun had accepted to go out with him. It wasn't an official date, more like two friends hanging out and drinking something together. 

«It took me some time, but I did it» Jeno chirped, his crescents twinkled happily as he thought about Renjun's soft lips curved into a smile «He said 'Yes'.» he added sounding relieshed. All the emotions he had bottled up inside, all his worries and fears of being rejected were suddenly gone. He couldn't get Renjun's pretty smile out of his mind. The most beautiful and graceful boy in the whole world, his crush since the very beginning of the year, had finally accepted to spend some time with him. He wondered if Renjun knew about his feelings. He was clever and undoubtely observant, after all. Also, if that was the case, that would have meant Renjun returned his feelings and Jeno couldn't help but feel the happiest man alive at that thought.

«I'm glad that worked out.» Mark chuckled, throwing an arm around his friend and pulling him closer, into an affectionate hug. Jeno was all giddy. He smiled widely, thankful for having such a wonderful friend. «Just admit I'm the bestest friend in the world and buy me a drink.» the older said in a playful tone. Jeno rolled his eyes, slapping his hand on the other's arm and telling him to  
shut up. «Whateverrrrr. Where are you two planning to go on friday?» he asked.

«Uhm... Renjun said he'd like to walk around Hogsmeade, so...» by the sound of that, Mark guessed Jeno had absolutely no idea where to bring the ravenclaw. He knew, for a fact, that his friend had never been on a date before, he had absolutely no experience if he didn't considered that - uscita- disastrous with a girl, Jeno had during their third grade. He needed to think of some place that the both of them would enjoy and- in that moment something clicked. Mark's lips curved into a sly smile. «Injun likes tea, isn't it?» he asked.  
«Y-yes...?» he gave an answer that, if anything, sounded more like a question. The black haired boy linked his hands behind his back and raised a brow, an hum of anticipation and amusement slipped out of his mouth. «I've heard Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop has been redecorated recently...» he hinted, in a not so subtle way. 

 

**

The two kept talking for about half an hour, planning everything Jeno should do when alone with Renjun. Mark teaching him what lines he shouldn't have to cross, especially the ones regarding the ravenclaw's hatred for skin-ship. Ubeknowst to them, a pair of slytherins had been walking behind them and eavesdropped, careful not to miss any little detail. The first of them was snickering in amusement, while the other looked like he was about to blow up just at the mention of the ravenclaw's prefect name.

Once the gryffindors had joined the rest of their class, a certain brunette pushed his friend away from the corridor and started mocking his ugly expression. «You should have seen your face Nana.» Donghyuck started clapping his hands together like a seal, eyes watering as he was laughing so hard that he couldn't breathe. The other gritted his teeth in silent fury and slapped him on the back of his head.  
«Shut it.» he growled, cheeks turning pink as his friend kept making fun of him. «I swear to God. You looked like you were about to strangle to both of them.» the brunette managed to say whilst wiping away the tears falling from his eyes. Jaemin decided not to respond, instead he started mumbling something to himself. He couldn't believe Lee Jeno got the balls to ask Renjun out, but what surprised him the most was the fact that the ravenclaw had accepted. He was outraged. He felt the urge to punch someone, but he couldn't just go up to the gryffindor or else he'd be expelled from the quidditch team for sabotaging his opponent, so he threw a punch at his friend's shoulder.

«Yah, the hell? That hurt!» the older complained massaging the sore spot with the palm of his hand. Jaemin glared at him. «Good. That way you'll stop laughing like an hysterical idiot.» he declared in revengeful tone.  
Haechan rolled his eyes and raised his eyesbrows as to say 'as if', then he tapped his friend's arm and proceeded into upsetting him again. «It's okay to feel jealous...after all your nemesis had just asked your crush out, and they accepted.» he commented. Jaemin furrowed his brows and averted his gaze, looking at anything but his friend's eyes. «Idiot. It's not like that.» he retorted.  
Haechan sneered «Oh, it is not?» he smirked seeing how the other had just lowered his gaze and how the corners of his mouth twitched in annoyance. He folded his arms and raised a brow, his smirk growing wider at the other's involuntary reactions. «Then explain why you look like you've just got hit by a truck... how do you call that? Happiness?» he commented sarcastically, pointing a finger against his friend's shoulder and poking him annoyingly. Jaemin clicked his tongue and glared back at him.

«I'd call that: "looking like Haechan listening to Mark Lee talking about his numerous hetero dates".» he retorted shooting a winning smile at his friend's direction. The brunette snorted «Don't kid yourself. You're dying for jealousy, not hatred.» he replied. Jaemin scoffed «There's a thin line between love and hatred, you know that right?» in response, Haechan shook his head and gave him the finger. «Even if that was true, at least I'm capable of keeping my feelings under control. I bet they could feel your jealousy even back in South Korea.» he mocked. The taller faked a pout, then sneered. «Right. even if that was true - which is not - it'd still be better than being in denial phase since I was in diaper.»

«Fuck you Na Jaemin.»

«Awww. Do my ears deceive me? Did Lee Haechan indirectly admitted defeat?» Jaemin cupped his ear with both of his hands and leaned over to Donghyuck, grinning widely. 

«I think not. Whatever it is that you're hearing, is the sound of your own bullshit.» Haechan retorted, a note of amusement in his tone. «Just admit you've been drooling over Renjun's ass for months and do something before Jeno snatches your loverboy away from you.»Jaemin scoffed. «Only when you'll have the balls to admit your crush on Mark is bigger than our solar system.»

«Well, I guess you've gotta forget about - I quote: " Renjun's cute dimple" - until the end of times.» after saying so, the two boys went back to class and sat the furthest possible from the gryffindors' desks. The teacher yelled at them for being late and Haechan scolwed at Mark's direction as he noticed the other was grinning like an idiot. Jaemin sighed out of frustration and rested his chin on his palm, staring at the blackboard. His friend's words echoing in the back of his mind and a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach as he repeated them with his own inner voice. 

_«Do something before Jeno snatches your loverboy away from you.»_

 

\---

 

XII.

 

«WHAT THE HELL NA JAEMIN??» 

Renjun's screams resonated through the corridors of the second floor. He sounded angry and desperate, almost on the verge of crying, while Jaemin seemed to be having fun judging by the high-pitched hysterical laughs. That was supposed to be their last meeting in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, but thanks to Jaemin brlliant idea of throwing the whole moonstone inside the cauldron without turning it into powder first, they have to see each other for at least another coupleofweek. That little bravado costed Jaemin to almost break bith his neck and his wand, not to mention the disatrous amount of broken mirror-glass that, if it weren't for Renjun's fixing spells, they would have to clean up bare hands during detention with Mr Flich and his smelly cat.  
The bathroom's windows opened, Renjun coughing loudly as Jaemin tried his best tu turn off the fire and throw everything inside the pot in the toilet bowl. Moaning Myrtle was looking at them and giggling amused, threatening them to spill everything to the teacher if they didn't fix every single. «Reparo» the ravenclaw chanted once the smoke had dissipated and he could finally see something again. Once the last mirror was fixed, Renjun turned to glare at the slytherin and clenched his fist, struggling hard to prevent himself from punching the other in the face.  
«What the hell were you thinking? I've explicitly told you to turn it into powder first or else it would blow up!» he exclaimed unsettled, running an hand on his cheek and wiping away the blood coming out on the scratch he had gained by throwing himself over Jaemin to cast a protective spell on both. «I just thought I'd... improvise, you know.» he said with a laid back tone, which made Renjun even more irritated than he already was. «You idiot. NEVER. Improvise a potentially deadly potion. You're lucky I was here to fix this mess.» he hissed, kicking the empty bottle of peppermint that they'd left there the last time they were there. «Now we'll have to start all over. Dammit.» Renjun face palmed and pinched the bridge of his nose,trying to calm himself down. Jaemin was staring at him, stunned by the older's reaction. He'd never seen him that angry before, not even when he told him he'd lied to him. «I can't believe you really did that.» the other scoffed running both of his hands through his hair, he looked beyond upset to be fair.  
«I'm sorry, okay? I just-» Renjun hated that careless tone of his and sut him up even before he could finish. «You're sorry? We almost died back there. YOU almost died if it weren't for my protection spell. You. Fucking. Idiot.» In that moment Jaemin seemed to realize something he should have paid more attention to, ergo the fact that Renjun had jumped on him and save his life after something he'd done all by himself. On purpose. Only to get to spend more time with the ravenclaw and hope he'll change his mind and keep talking to him afterward.  
«I swear, the prespective of spending another month with you in this bathroom makes me want to rip my eyes out.» the older screeched as he started gathering all the remaining - undamaged - instruments and ingredients. He scanned what was left and let out a groan of frustration. «You've got to be kidding me.» he exclaimed grabbing an handful of burned rose thorns in the palm of his hand. «Great. Just great. You've burnt the freaking thorns. It's going to take another week just to dry them in the sun and prepare them for the potion.» he explained, adding a louder groan at the end.  
«You better have a better excuse for this Na Jaemin. One does not simply fuck up a potion, that took months to be prepared, just to "improvise"» he pointed his finger at the slytherin, narrowing his eyes and and curling his hand into a fist. Jaemin stretched out an embarassed smile and scratched the back oh his head. He wondered wheter he should have been honest or kept plauing dumb. However, Renjun was definately too clever to believe he was dumb enough to risk his own life for fun; not that he knew he could actually die because of a dumb stone. «What if...» he hesitated, unsure if it was better to talk seriously or just going back to that flirty self Renjun was used to during their first months of so-called friendship. He opted for the second, as the first sounded definately more cringy and embarassing to deal with. In fact, after his brief argument with Haechan a few days before, he had realized that, maybe, he was indeed a tab bit romantically interested in Renjun; like the I-want-to-date-you kind of interested, not the I-am-flirting-with-you-to-annoy-you kind of interested. And shit. He'd just admitted something like that.  
«So?» Renjun called out raising an eyebrow and tapping his feet on the floor tiles. Jaemin wore his best flirty smile and pouted slightly, emphatizing the curve of his slightly plump lips. «What if I were to tell you... I did it because I wanted to spend some time with you?» he said in a whiny yet cute tone. Renjun narrowed his eyes and snorted. «I want the truth Jaemin.» he said unconvinced.  
The slytherin then pouted «but I'm telling the truth! I just...don't want to finish the potion if that means I'm not going to talk to you again...» he explained. Renjun took a deep breath and looked away, visibly irritated, but also a bit shaken by the weird response. Jaemin noticed and grinned slightly. He didn't know exactly what caused the ravenclaw to react like that, nor what he could be possibly thinking about, but he knew for sure that he cause that little eye twitching. Ubekwnost to him, Renjun was having trouble keeping himself together after hearing such a corny line. The Jaemin he knew, the flirty and witty one, was back on track and was now unconsiously playing with the strings of his heart. A warm feeling washed over him and forced him to avert his gaze from the taller's, whose eyes were still on him, waiting for his response with glee. Renjun had no idea wheter Jaemin was being serious or just making fun of him. The only thing he was certain about was that his heart was threatening to burst out. «Goddammit.» he cursed in his mind, fearing that the other could notice the light shade of pink spreading onto his heated cheeks. He thought the perspective of going on a date with Jeno would make him at least a bit less dumb and hopeless in front of the slytherin, but apparently that only worked when the gryffindor was by his side.  
Jaemin's grin turned into an embarassed smile all of the sudden, making the older skin a few heartbeats as he muttered an akward «Thank you by the way...» which caught Renjun off guard.  
«for what?» he asked, trying his best not to stutter. Jaemin's beautiful pink lips turned into a gentler smile, his crescents glimmering as he pronounced the words that made Renjun realize how much of a twisted joke his life was. «For saving my life.» he said, in a soft tone. The ravenclaw couldn't help but press his lips into a thin line and try his best not to blush before he raised an hand and gestured to Jaemin to get out. «J-just go. I'll take care of this. I'll see you next week with the ingredients.» he said, cursing at himself for letting his voice crack at the beginning. He could tell Jaemin had noticed how flustered he was by the way he was smiling at himself when walking out. 

«I'll see you, Injunnie» he dared to call him like that for the first time in months; but he was pretty sure that the ravenclaw wouldn't mind, or better, wouldn't insult for once. Jeno might have asked Renjun out first, but he was sure he'd be the one winning the boy's heart in the end.

 

\---

 

XIII.

 

Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop was better known to the students as the haunt of happy couple; that upholding Renjun's conclusions that Jeno aimed for a bit more than having a nice chat and holding hands, at the end of the day. The place had been redecorated but was still painted entirely in pink, crawled with bows hanging all over the walls and cramped, due to the large amount of teenagers holding hands and kissing over cups of tea or hot chocolate. When they walked in a bell over the door announced their arrival and a young maid with a plastic smile escorted them toward their table, close by the window. Renjun sat down and gave a fake smile after running his hand over the lacy napkin in front of him. He wasn't really fond of the appearence, as pink was one of his least favourite coulors, and the atmosphere made him feel uncomfortable as the couples surrounding them were being way too intimate for his likings, but at least he'd heard the drinks - tea expecially - were amazing. It's been a while since his last time there. The sound of the bell signalled that another couple had entered the tea shop, but Renjun didn't dare looking up from where his eyes had found home in his folded hands. Jeno wasn't any good at that either, internally regretting to have listened to Mark's advice and have brought the ravenclaw in a place crowded with smooching couples instead of somewhere quieter.

«Oh, you look lovely!» Madam Puddifoot approached their table with great difficulty, bumping into a tall boy wearing a beanie and almost dropping his tray on the girl who was sitting behind Jeno's chair. She smiled and asked for their order, then went back to the lonesome boy that asked her the drinks list. Renjun found himself glancing over a the strange boy who happened to be wearing sunglasses too, wondering why the hell would someone were an hat and sunglasses at the same time, considering outside was raining heavily.

«I'm sorry» Jeno asserted awkwardly, aware that that wasn't the kind of date than none of them expected. Renjun knew averted his gaze from the strange man and looked back at his date. He knew what he meant and simply shook his head, smiling gently. «As long as the tea is good, I can deal with any place.» he reassured. At that the gryffindor seemed to relax, turning his disconsolate pout into a smile. The ravenclaw was indeed an angel.  
The waitress that welcomed them when they entered the shop, walked up to them and served them their tea, then she approched the douchy dude table and took his order too. Renjun and Jeno started chatting amongst themselves, feeling less uncomfortable as they focused on their conversation alone, and not was and who was surrounding them. The main topics of their discussions ranging from their school programms to what happened to Mark and Jisung during Charms and Muggle studies. They chuckled, joked around, acting all "lovey dovey" - which they really weren't, but being in that shop alone made them look like that, in the first place - and smiling whilst tasting each other's pastries and drinks. At some point Renjun's giggles came out so loud that everyone in the room turned around to look at the two of them, eveyone including the tall boy with in sunglasses. The boy gazed at the couple and snorted, hiding his face behind the pink pages of the menu and faking to be interested in whatever that page he was looking at was about. He had in fact, expressely requested to keep the drinks list just in case he wanted to get something else after his coffee, but truth to be told he probably didn't even want to buy the first one. 

Renjun seemed to notice something was off. He felt someone's stare on him since the very moment he and Jeno had entered the shop and unconsciously shifted his gave from the gryffindor, to the mysterious boy sitting a few tables a part from them. No sane person would spend the aftenoon sitting by themselves at Madam Puddifoot's, surrounded by couple making out, and actually enjoying that. Also, the guy felt somewhat familiar.  
Instead, Jeno was lost in his own thoughts and completely oblivious of the presence looming behind him. He was considering acting bold for once in his life, grabbing a pastry and feeding it to Renjun, like the attentive boyfriend he'd have wished to be. However, he had no idea of how the other would react when asked to do something like that in front of everyone. He glanced up at the ravenclaw and noticed he was grinning amusedly whislt playing with his teaspoon and staring at his empty cup. Weird. Jeno opened his mouth to say something, but Renjun's sudden request made him freeze on his chair, his mouth agape in bewilderment.

«Do you wanna try this?» the smaller asked innocently, holding a pastry out and reaching for for Jeno's lips. He was fully aware that was completely ot of character, but he'd decided to act like that to see whether he was right about the tall man's identity. If he really was who he thought he was, and that was the easiest and fastest way to know. Once again, Renjun proved he wasn't as dumb as some people seemed to think. He smiled fondly at Jeno's positive response, cheeks turning into a deep shade of red as Jeno leaned in and pressed his lips against the dark chocolate pastry before taking it into his mouth. The gryffindor had an hard time swallowing the sweet, but Renjun had even an harder time not to make his smile falter when he felt something tingling inside his belly. Maybe that wasn't the wisest choice after all, considering how sweaty his hands felt afterward and how many girls had started cooing at them for being cute. Jeno was literally melting on his chair whilst Renjun wanted to disappear from the face of earth, but what was done was done and maybe it hadn't been completely useless. 

The sunglass-guy - that was the best nickname Renjun could come up with - looked at the scene in disbelief. The blonde couldn't see through the thick black glass, but he bet he had eyes like saucers. He snickered internally, but that moment of amusement ceased as soon as the guy dragged his chair to their table and sat right between the two of them.  
«What- who the heck-» Jeno blurted out in surprise. He still had no idea who that stranger was and what he wanted from them, but judging by Renjun's angried and unsettled glare, he guess the other knew him. When the tall boy spoke, however, Jeno realized that that was none other than Na Jaemin.  
The slytherin had moved so fast that he didn't even realize what he'd done, but as soon as his eyes met Jeno's he felt the urge to punch him and ruin his so-called date with the blonde boy. Renjun and the gryffindor's exchanged puzzled glances, then the taller cleared his throat and greeted them gleefully.

«Hi guys» he gave shot them a cheeky grin and rested his chin on his palm. «Am I interrupting something?» he asked innocently. Renjun rolled his eyes heavenword and muttered something along the lines of _«as if you couldn't tell»_ ; Jeno lifted his eyebrow and glanced back at his date, who seemed to be in deep thought. The ravenclaw was in fact analyzing the situation, wondering whether Jaemin was purposely ruining their date only to annoy the shit out of him - or Jeno - or if he had something else in mind. 

«Were you...by any chance, following us?» he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. The slytherin bursted out laughing, like Renjun had just said something ridiculous. «No way. I was just passing by. I didn't even notice it was you, since a few seconds ago.» he explained chuckling by himself.

«I see...» Renjun snorted in amusement. Jaemin sucked at making up excuses. «so what's up with this weird combo beanie-sunglasses, when it's obviously raining outside?» he retorted, anticipating the next reply. «it's called fashion, Injunnie. You should learn a bit about that too» the pink haired said snapping his fingers sassyly and then stealing one of Jeno's pastries right in front of him. Jeno scowled at him. Na Jaemin sure had some nerve to show up like that and try to ruin his date. 

«Soooo, what are you guys planning to do now? you gonna stay here or...» he asked throwing an arm around Renjun, which flinched at the touch and tried to move his chair further away from the pink haired boy. Jeno gritted his teeth in frustration and anger. How dare he touching his date? against his will?  
«It's none of your damn business» he claimed, in a chalenging tone. Jaemin snorted and raised his eyebrows amused. «Woah, easy tiger» he mocked «you're among friends.» he replied with a winning smile. Renjun looked at the scene and felt a wave of embarassment wash over him. It was clear to everyone in the room that they were bickering because of him. The ravenclaw should have been flattered to be the subject of two handome boys' interest but, in that moment, all he could think of was how great it would have been to own an Invisibility cloak. 

«What is it, Lee Jeno? Am I that intimidating to you?» Jaemin mocked. This time Jeno couldn't hold himself back, so he thumped the table and stood up, glaring at the sytherin. «Are you ready to go, Injun?» he asked, eyes and voice softening as he talked to his crush. Renjun dampened his lips nervously and nodded lighlty, grabbing his coat from the back of the chair as his eyes interlocked with Jaemin's. The taller reached out an hand and grabbed Renjun by his arm, then he send an intense glare at Jeno's direction. «And who says he wants to come with you?» he retorted, blocking Renjun with his body. The two the started bickering again, louder than before and drawing everyone's attention onto them. Renjun felt beyond embarassed, especially because he knew most of them were students around his age. The rumors of Lee Jeno and Na Jaemin fighting over him would spread quickly around school and, in a matter of hours, every single student alive would know about it. If only they weren't two of the most popular quidditch players. He glared at them and sighed out of frustration.

«You know what? Actually, I do wanna leave.» he said, Jeno smiled confidently and Jaemin raised a brow. Renjun's eyes shifted from the gryffindor to the slytherin's face before he shoved the latter by his side «...Alone. enjoy your petty fights and come back to me when you both grow up.» he clearified, walking up to the counter to pay his tab and then storming out the door. Once he was out, breeze blowing through his hair, he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and cupped his face with the palms of his sweaty hands. He felt angry, annoyed, but also incredibly flustered by this whole situation. He couldn't certaintly deny that he felt a rush of happiness at the thought that the two boys might have seriously liked him. He'd never thought something like that could happen in real life, not to him at least. He didn't want to waste time dealing with two childish idiots; he didn't want people to look at him like they did inside the shop, some out of pity and some filled with jealousy; and most importantly, he didn't want to choose between the two of them. 

He was confused, and he had no one he could talk to.


	5. Quidditch, roses and lake shores

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Quidditch match that doesn't end too well and two boys stepping forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! 
> 
> If you're wondering why I added 1 more chapter, is because I didn't realize how much I was going to write :°D So after this there's going to be the final chapter and a little epilogue ^^ ♥
> 
> Ps. I didn't have time to check for errors and such, but I'll fix everything as soon as I have time :)

XIV.

 

After the incredibly awkward day at Madam Padifoot's Renjun figured he'd be able to get some time alone, without his thoughts hunting him and without Jeno and Jaemin constantly harassing him. He needed time to sort out his feelings, understand what he really wanted, as that was the very first time he'd found himself in such a situation; but the two other boys seemed to have started a contest to determine who was better at annoying the shit out of him.  
In fact, they'd started following him around, taking every chance they had to spend some time with him, talking nonstop during the breaks, sitting next to him in class, all of that so they could rub it off on the other's face.  
Renjun did the best he could, scowling and yelling at them if needed but still, he had an hard time shaking them off. The both of them had started acting bolder, not only when they were alone with him during tutoring lessons or in the bathroom of the second floor, but also in front of other students. The ravenclaw had lost count of how many time Jaemin had leaned in for a kiss during the following weeks, being all flirty first and all playful right after being rejected promptly by the blonde irritated boy. He could honestly expect that from the slytherin, however, he did not expect Jeno grabbing his hands when standing close to him or smiling subtly while looking at any chocolate pastry on the table during breakfast. Of course Jeno, being the goofy and shy kid he always was, seemed more inclined into doing things like that in private, away from prying eyes; not out in the open like Jaemin did. Renjun was well aware of what the other students thought too. Especially the ones that were interested in the two quidditch players long time before they'd started acting like that. Jaemin's behaviour in particular, made it seem like he and Renjun were dating and that he was marking his territory. Jeno, on the other hand, gave off a jealous boyfriend vibe that made everyone confused. Including Renjun of course, even though he was perfectly aware of what was going on behind the scenes.

It went on like that for weeks. The slytherin and the gryffindor fighting each other publicly and exchanging glares whenever the other sat too close to Renjun or dared talking to him and make him gave barely a hint of a smile. Renjun wanted them to stop, but there was no use in asking and apparently no use in yelling at them either. Mark and Haechan seemed to both despise and enjoy the whole situation, being the supportive friends they were and cheering one for his bestfriend and one for the other. Funny thing - if Renjun could call that funny - was that they'd start fighting too when their "contestant" was in disvantage.Even Jisung and Chenle - who seemed not to have solved their little argument yet - thought that it was getting out of hand; but they both knew -and Renjun knew it too - that the only way to make their faud stop was for Renjun to give a solid answer. Basically, choose between the two boys before they tear each other apart.  
It was a difficult choice to make, considering how different the two were but how similar was the way they made him feel, when they looked at him or stood by him. Renjun was sure his heart had never raced that much in his whole life; not even when he had to front that boggart during Defence Against the Dark Arts during his third year. 

The insistent knock on his bedroom door brought him back to reality, making him rest his hand on his young emerald tree boa's head, which hissed in annoyance. Renjun placed the snake back into his glass case and walked up to the door. It was rare for him to have someone paying a visit that early in the morning, mostly because that day was the day of the last quidditch match of the year and every single student didn't want to miss the show. After all, despite being uninterested in said sport, he knew Gryffindor and Slytherin were the best teams and that they'd never failt to bring competition to a whole new level every year. 

«Prefect Huang, there's a gryffindor who's asking for you...» announced a young girl, probably a first year, pointing outside. Renjun knitted his brows in confusion. _«Shouldn't Jeno and Mark be on-»_ Jisung came instantly to his mind, and his frown disappeared as quickly as it had formed. Renjun grabbed his cloak and wore it, his unkempt blond locks all over the place as he fixed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and headed outside. His orange haired friend stood right in front of the staircase and gave him a soft smile when their eyes met. 

«Hyung!» he snickered internally as he noticed how dishelved were the other's hair, but since he thought Renjun looked cuter than usual, he'd decided not to warn him. Renjun's gaze softened and so did his voice as he ased Jisung what was he doing there, instead of the quidditch pitch. The younger shrugged «Orders from Mark Lee, I guess» he asserted «he asked me to come and get you. He wanted you to watch the match and witness his outstanding commentator skills.» he explained, his nose crinkling out of habit. Renjun pondered a bit on his request. The thought of both Na Jaemin and Lee Jeno attempting to do something stupid to impress him, made the boy think he had better stayed in his room; but he'd feel regretful - and Mark would probably haunt him for it - not to support his raven haired friend's for making it as a commentator. Also, Jisung would have probably acted sulky for the rest of his life if he'd said no. 

«I won't take no as an answer hyung.» the younger warned grinning in amusement. «Besides, I don't want to sit alone in the bleachers. At that Renjun couldn't help but accept, excusing himself to go get his scarf, and then walking toward the quittich pitch with his youngrst friend by his side.

 

**

Luckily for him, Jaemin and Jeno didn't notice his presence at first, and therefore acted like they'd never talked nor fought with each other outside the pitch. The teams were in a tie, all thanks to their amazing keepers, but none of them showed signs of boredom or wanting to give up; especially the chasers that were, as usual, the most favourite targets of the quartet of beaters flying a few feet higher. The seekers seemed to have no clue of where the golden snitch was and were scouring the entire lenght of the field from far above everyone else.

«Witches and Wizards, here goes another point for Gryffindor! Woah, they're on fire today! Letgitit guys!» Mark's voice resonated throughout the pitch and Renjun shifted his eyes quickly from the flying players to his friend's stand. Jisung raised his hands up to the sky and started waving them in order to catch his hyung's attention, encouraging the ravenclaw to do the same. Renjun felt dumb doing that, but when Mark turned and waved back he felt happiness run through his body. The half-canadian fellow seemed to enjoy what he was doing, like he was born to talk in that mic and to hype up the crowd; and Renjun felt somehow proud and smiled widely, going back to watch the match and this time cheering with Jisung, even thought he really didn't care who'd win. Unfortunately, his loud cheers had caught the attention of a certain slytherin flying a few feets above their heads. 

Jaemin drew his brow together and shot a glance at the two boys and then toward Jeno, who was about to score another ten points. There was no way he was going to lose to a dumbass gryffindor. Not him. Not the best beater of the school. If Renjun was cheering for the other, then he'd have to give Renjun a good reason to cheer for him instead; a decisive action that would make the gryffindor shit his pants. He just needed to wait for the right occasion and the right budger.  
In the meanwhile, Jeno had noticed Renjun cheering oudly next to Jisung. He didn't really know what he was saying and he wasn't even sure if the ravenclaw was cheering for him and his house, but judging by the grimace appearing on Jaemin's face, he might have been right. The captain shouted out something about staying focused and threw him the quaffle, swerving as the second beater of slytherin had tried to block his passage. Jeno sped up considerely and zigzagged between his teammates and the enemy team, leaving the whole stadium hanging for another flawless action. He scored and the crowd screamed in joy as gryffindor was finally taking the lead. 

«Show off.» Jaemin hissed under his breath. «It takes nothing to do that.» he scoffed, soaring higher in the sky to search for a budger. He grinned happily once he had intercepted the ball and got into position; both hands on the bat as he charged back in order to hit strong and fast. It was obvious who he was aiming at, the gryffindor chaser was still holding the quaffle under his arm and was threateing the Slytherin rings. Jaemin raised and eyebrow, smirking as he mumbled something to himself. «Ya'll see. Patience, strategy and a good aim are the traits a true winner needs. Not that flying speed and poor team work.» he snorted and charged, ready to hit.

«Let's see how good you're at dodging this» he said sending the budger straight toward Jeno's direction, with all the strenght he could manage. Renjun looked at the scene and, apparently, was the first to realize how powerful and fast that ball was. He'd started yelling, trying to warn Jeno to watch out and the brunette did; braking and almost falling off of his broom, but saving himself from a budger in the head. The boy then shot a glare in the beater's direction, fully aware that the whole thing was becoming more personal now that Renjun had showed up. «Was that the best you can do?» he challenged after flying up and facing the other. A scornful smile forming on the slytherin's lips as he answered back with a cocky «I didn't even started sweetheart.»; that phrase and look marking the beginning of a rather deadly match between petty idiots. 

**

Fifteen minutes later, the two gryffindor beaters started gathering around their best player, sending all the budgers back to were they came from. Jaemin looked unbothered, as he was good at flying and dodging poorely aimed balls was a piece of cake to him, but the sight of Renjun cheering for the enemy team was setting him off, making his blood boil. Despite knowing that Quidditch had almost no rules, he felt that he should not to be that aggressive, but since Jeno kept sending the same challenging glare and smirks back to him, he felt like he'd be the loser if he'd decided to call the whole competition off. Also, the eyes of the school were glued on him - them - and he sort of liked the feeling. 

«This is no good» said Jisung, fidgeting as he looked at Jeno swinging close to the teachers' stand to avoid a budger that still grazed his cheek. Renjun let out another sigh and shoook his head lightly, eyes shifting between the two opponents that were now charging at each other. 

«I don't understand.» stated the orange haired pressing his lips together in confusion. «They've done stuff like this before...I mean, they're a gryffindor and a slytherin with loads of self-esteem after all - especially when it comes to Quidditch -, but what the hell are they thinking?» he complains glancing at Jaemin swerving and flying higher. Renjun faked a shrug. He knew what was going on between the two, but he didn't really want to talk about it in the midst of a match, with all those noisy students around. Jisung shouted something to Jeno that the ravenclaw couldn't make out because of the screams, then he turned toward his older friend and added a rather worried «they're gonna kill each other off, and other players might get injuried too. We need to do something hyung.»

«You know Jeno better than I do, he's not gonna stop until Jaemin does, and believe me. He's not.» Renjun replied, a hint of hopelessness in his voice as his eyes rested on Jaemin's back. The two players were flying around like crazy, shouting mockeries and remarks to one another. They didn't care about the match, the points, the golden snitch that the Slytherin's seeker had almost caught but that had disappeared before he could get in his hands. Jaemin was so caught up shooting fire glares at the chaser, that he didn't realize he had hit another student's broom with his bat until the boy fell off and someone chanted an Arresto Momentum. Jeno and him both took a few seconds to realize what was happening before, but only when their captains screamed something about saving the guy, they jerked their brooms and dived down to reach out for the young seeker of slytherin. They sped up, turning that rescue mission into their last personal challange and making everyone on the schoolfield hold their breath as they looked like were about to crush.  
Jeno and Jaemin reached out their hands to grab the panicked student plummeting to his death, but it was too late. They were only a few feet from the ground and they both knew that that was their last chance to save him, or less, they'd have ended up in the Hospital Wing as well. Jeno missed the seeker's hand and cussed, braking as hard as he could, trying a last-minute change of direction without succeeding as the wind moved Jaemin's cloak so that it would cover his face and blind him enough to make him loose control of his broom. Jaemin on the other end, didn't even notice the sudden swerve of direction and leaned forward, grabbing his fellow slytherin successfully but loosing his balance as well. Their brooms crashed into each other and the three players - Jaemin was still holding tightly on his teammate's uniform - were hurled through the air. Jeno let out a scream as soon as he got rid of the other's cloak, Jaemin cussed under his breath and tried his best to change position with the younger slytherin, in order to be the one hitting the ground first.  
both Jaemin and Jeno felt their bones break inside their body as they crashed onto the ground and the younger boy fell on them violently and unsurprisingly unconscious. Their brooms were thrown who knows where because of the impact and their cloaks flying away and falling a few feet behind them. All they could hear were the screams and wows coming from the students' stands. 

«The seeker of Slytherin caught the golden snitch! Slytherin wins the match!» announced Mark, sounding more worried than anything. He, Jisung and Renjun met each other at the end of the staircase and ran toward the fallen boys, Donghyuck and Chenle joining them soon after with the teachers and madam Pomfrey rushing behind them.  
Mark and Donghyuck fell on their knees and cupped their friends' faces in the palms of their hands, the first asking Jeno how he felt and the other throwing insults at Jaemin for being a reckless idiot. The latter hissed and clenched his teeth, murmuring something about not feeling his legs and having troubles breathing; while Jeno complained about his broken right arm and the stabbing pain coming from his ribcage. 

Renjun and Jisung looked at each other in distress, not knowing what to do or say, and Chenle looked on the verge of crying. The ravenclaw felt a tinge of guiltiness spread throughout his body and, even though he wanted to yell at the two for doing something so stupid, he couldn't bring himself to do it. The look of pain crossing their faces held him back. Once the Headmaster and Madam Pomfrey had started talking and giving orders, Jeno had already fainted in Mark's arms. Dongkhyuck ran an hand through his bestfriend's hair and Jaemin smiled weakly, tilting his head slighlty and meeting eyes with Renjun before falling unconscious.

**

That night Renjun paid them a visit. He wanted to check on them and scold them properly, but the two had already fallen asleep with a serene expression, despite being close to one another. His eyes scanned the room and rested on the nightstands full of flowers and gifts full of "get-weel-soon" postcards. The ravenclaw shook his head at the sight and let a sigh escape his lips. 

«I'll give you ten minutes mr Huang» the infirmary lady whispered while inviting him to sit on a chair. Renjun smiled and nodded silently, placing it in between the two beds - so that he could sit close to the both of them - and running an hand through his soft hair. He bent down, resting the elbows over his knees and shifting eyes from Jaemin's colorful locks and the bendages wrapped around Jeno's head. He sighed again. Madam Pomfrey had told him they would be dismissed in less than week but still, seeing those bandages and casts on Jaemin's legs and Jeno's arms made his heart sink a bit. He felt a guilt he couldn't explain. It wasn't entirely his fault if the slytherin and the gryffindor couldn't bear each other's presence, but he felt responsable for the accident because he knew they did what they did to win his attention. Jaemin must have felt jealous when he had seen him cheering for Jeno's team, but he'd never thought it would lead them into an infirmary bed. He'd understimated their rivarly and that could have costed more than a cast and some broken ribs each, not to mention the fact that they've endangered someone else's life as well in the process.  
At that point, if they were anyone else, he would have already gave them the heave-ho, but somehow he couldn't. Jeno and - especially - Jaemin were undoubtely two hot headed idiots that had crossed the line multiple times, and that needed to be punished for being reckless, but Renjun couldn't bring himself to cut ties with either them. Not even after that incident.

«Goddammit...» he groaned taking his glasses off and pinching the bridge of his nose in distress. That was the last straw, he needed to think quickly of a solution that wouldn't cause anyone to hurt, but there were only two possibilities. The both of them required him to be firm and straight forward on his position, but the problem was that he dodn't know how they would react. The first possibility was to walk up to them and choose who he wanted to grow closer with and the second, would have seen him telling them that he wasn't romantically interested in neither, so that they would hopefully stop fighting. The latter, he reasoned, would be the best, even though it would have meant to ignore and hide his feelings. He knew that was going to be very hard, but that was probably the only way to cease their dangerous challenges and annoying bickering. Of course, the perspective of lying and repress his own emotions didn't sound very convincing and ideal, but he'd rather loose his chances with the two boys than having one of them hurt themselves - or someone else - over him. 

 

 

XV.

 

A week later Renjun was walking down the corridor with a pensive expression painted on his tired face. The dark circles under his eyes and the almost non existent and bitten nails were clear signs of his sleeping disorders and anxiety. Most people would think those symphtoms were caused by the imminent end of the school, which meant O.W.L were about to start, but truth was, Renjun was still thinking hard about his final decision regarding his private life and Jeno and Jaemin's. He'd talked to no one about it yet, but that day he was planning to talk to Jaemin about it, while helping him finishing his love potion. He worried about the other's possible reaction so much, that he had even considered talking to Jeno first, but either way he'd have to talk to slytherin some day soon; so he better put his mind at rest, once and for all.

«Hey» 

«Hi, and welcome back...» the prefect muttered stretching out a faint smile. It was a rather awkward encounter, mostly on Renjun's part since he knew that was the right occasion to talk about the slytherin's reckless stunts and to clear up things between them. The ravenclaw felt his chest tightening as he noticed that Jaemin's face was still covered in plasters, but at least he seemed not to have troubles walking and standing on his feet.

«How are you feeling?» he asked taking off his cloak and resting it over on of the broken sinks. The pik haired boy shrugged. «Never felt better in my whole life.» he joked smiling warmly right after. Their eyes locked for a brief second, then silence fell as the blonde started setting up the cauldron and checked if there were any missing ingredients inside the bag the slytherin had handed to him. He nodded «seems that you've got everything on time. We can start right away.» He asserted inviting the other to take his place next to the fuming pot.  
«I took the liberty to drop the eggs and the peppermind, so that we could season the potion while you were recovering.» he admitted, making Jaemin's smile grow a bit wider. Donghyuck had probably told him already, since Renjun had walked up to him, one day, and asked him if Jaemin had any of the ingredients left in his room. 

«Thanks» was all the slytherin said, letting silence fall one more time. The prefect of ravenclaw felt a bit uncomfortable noticing that the other was still standing in front of him, showing no sign of wanting to sit down, and staring at him with an unreadable expression. He cleared his throat and took a few steps back toward the sink, fighting the urge to bite the insides of his mouth and trying to hide his distress whilst talking. He knew that Jaemin was going to ask sooner or later, but he wasn't ready to deny his feelings and act like there was nothing going on between the three of them. 

**

The two boys worked in silence for about half an hour, then Renjun leaned in to check on the potion and smiled proudly to himself. «Turn off the fire.» he commanded, shoving an hand inside his bag and taking a little empty bottle out. «Here, fill it up with the amorentia and let it cool down. You could use it right away, but it's better if you wait a little bit so that the taste of roses disappears completely.» he advised.  
«Wonderful» Jaemin sing-songed happily while pouring the hot mixture. When he realized he had made more than he originally meant to, he grabbed the little phial he used to contain the moonstone powder and fill it up for - he quoted jokingly - "future personal purposes". 

Once they were done cleaning up everything, Jaemin looked at Renjun and smiled thankfully. «Thank you so much in behalf of my friend.» he said, slapping the palm of his hand on the other's back three times in a row. Renjun furrowed his brows and warned him to be careful. «You guys better not fuck up and give it to the right person, or I'll personally end you.» he threatened. 

«Oh, don't worry, I'll took care of that.» Jaemin grinned mischevously before asking something the prefect wasnt't expecting to hear. «So I guess...this is the last time we...see each other?» he asked, sounding anyhitng but worried and sad about it. Renjun's eyes narrowed suspiciously at that reaction, as he recalled that the last time they'd talked about not seeing each other anymore, Jaemin's expression had faltered. However, how come that time he seemed completely okay about it? Renjun frowned imperceptibly and Jaemin grinned at the barest hint of confusion. «I know you can't wait to get rid of me, but I'd like to apologize for being a dick to you, first.» he confessed, his smile softening. «It was wrong for me to use you. I genuinely like you now and I wish we could clear things up.» Renjun parted his lips to reply back but the other cut him off. 

«I'm only asking for a few minutes and a cup of tea. Nothing more, I promise.» he begged whining cutely, clasping his hands together. Renjun's mouth twitched slightly. He wasn't sure it was a wise thing to do, especially after he'd decided to keep a safe distance from both Jaemin and Jeno; hoping that way they'd tone down a bit and stop trying to tear each other apart because of him. He didn't want to show it, but he was genuinely concerned.

«I'm not sure... I should-» Jaemin didn't even let him finish his sentence and grabbed his hand, making Renjun stumble upon his words. The slytherin grinned cutely and spoke in a cute voice «come on Injunnie, I just want to make it up to you.». The blonde let out a sigh of frustration and nodded «alright then...». What he didn't expected was for Jaemin to grab his wrist and drag him out of the bathroom at the speed of light «I knew you wouldn't say no to a cup of tea!» he said cheerfully. 

 

**

 

«You know, many people came to visit the infirmary only to see me, last week...» Jaemin said smiling criptcally as he poured some hot water in his own cup. They were sitting by themselves in the Study Hall, just like few months before. Madam Pinch had lent them her kettle and excused herself to take care of some things in the Restricted Section, so they were left all alone once again. Renjun, who was searching frantically for a Jasmine flavoured tea bag, felt the need bite his fingernails at that, but luckily - or unluckily - he remembered that he'd already tortured his fingers throughout the whole week and that there was nothing left to bite. He sighed, giving up at the idea that he'd have to drink a Jin Xuan - oolong - tea and pulling his cup closer to him to dip the tea bag in. He scrunched up his nose at the strong scent of roses and reached out for a lump of sugar. «You're pretty popular after all.» he pointed out casually, hoping that Jaemin would end the conversation there. But he knew that was unlikely.  
«...almost the whole school came, but I haven't seen you around.» He added with a hint of disappointment, making Renjun stiffen as he dropped his second sugar cube and waited for it to sink. Of course Jaemin would have noticed. The slytherin was used to receive love and attention from pretty much everyone around him, especially from his closest friends, and that's why he'd been waiting for Renjun to show up while he was recovering. Something the ravenclaw didn't have to courage to do. Not when he could be seen at least.  
«Yeah, about that....» Renjun dampened his lips and averted his eyes, resting his spoon on the table and sipping some tea. He could feel his hands trembling and begged the other wouldn't notice. «...I was very busy and...well, there were so many people around so I just asked Donhyuck how you were doing-» he explained lowering the cup and placing it back onto its porcelain plate. He couldn't handle the intenisty of Jaemin's stare and let his eyes rest on his hands.

«Oh. Strange. When I asked Madam Pomfrey, she told me you showed up almost every night. Ten minutes before curfew to make sure you'd be alone» he explained with a note of amusement malice in his tone. «She must have lied then» he added sarcastically. Renjun felt his face grow instantly hot and immediately broke into a panicked giggle. Shit, and there he thought the infirmary lady wouldn't tell a living soul. Jaemin rested his chin on the palm of his hand and looked at him grinning in delight. His eyes wandered on Renjun's face for a bunch of seconds, studying his reaction and expression.  
«Why are you so embarassed about it?» he asked in a rather flirty tone which made Renjun's stomach tighten. «I find it cute. You worrying about me an all...» he added with a cheeky smile. At those words, the ravenclaw felt his every emotion swirling together like leaves tossed in the wind. He panicked. He knew that whatever his answer would have been, would eventually lead to the conversation he was still - not so unconsciously - trying to avoid. If he were to be honest, he'd have answered that he was dead worried about him and Jeno, and that he cared about them more than a friend would; but he decided to skip that chick-flick part and go straight to the scolding.

«I'm not embarassed. I'm mad.» He retorted firmly despite the deafening sound of his own heartbeat. «You two almost killed each other off last week, and that seeker too. You guys need to sort things out or, at least, cool it down a bit.» he admonished in a mixture of concern and disapproval. Jaemin giggled internally and dipped a vanilla biscuit in his oolong and, accidentally on purpose, let his elbow knock his spoon off of the table top. «Oh, would you...?» he asked once it had fallen under Renjun's chair. The ravenclaw raised an eyebrow in annoyance, but bent down to pick the spoon up from the floor either way. A mischevous grin appeared on the other's lips when he sat back and handed Jaemin the spoon.

«Here» 

«Thanks Injunnie» smiled the other reaching out to grab the spoon and brushing their fingers together not so accidentally again. Renjun felt the tips of his ear turn hot and he mentally cursed at himself. He needed to stop feeling like that whenever Jaemin was around. He cleared his throat and drained the lat bit from his cup, grimacing as he had put too much sugar in it. Jaemin observed him in silence for a bunch of seconds and grinned. He knew Renjun was keeping something from him and he wasn't stupid enough to think it that it wasn't about him and Jeno. After all, they had spent the last couple of weeks acting all flirty, out of jealousy, and it would have been impossible for the ravenclaw not to be bothered about it. What the slytherin was concerned about, however, was whether Renjun would choose him over Jeno in the end. Lately, he had come to realize how much his view on the ravenclaw had changed over time; how hard it was for him to hold himself together and how many times a day he'd found himself thinking of Renjun's cute dimple and snaggletooth. He knew he needed to act quick if he wanted to leave a mark, something that would ensure him to have the ravenclaw's total attention - and all his thoughts - focused exclusively on him.

 

**

 

«So, are you still going to hate me after all?» Jaemin asked cheekly, once they stood up to clean the table and place the kettle back on the shelf where it belonged. It took a moment for Renjun to say something, his conflicted expression matching with the whirlwind of emotions running inside of him. He asked himself if he wanted to make things easier, pushing Jaemin away without saying a word while he could, or if he wanted to make it harder and let everything out. He felt anxious at the thought of the slytherin walking away from him, but he felt even worse at the thought of spending another year with him by his side, keeping his feelings locked up inside mind. He had never done something like that before and he wasn't sure he could hold it in for much longer. He thought of Jeno too and sighed. It was so hard already and no one knew, nor could help him get out of that situation. He had to trust himself that he could to it. He could forget about his feelings and move on.  
However, when he turned around to reply and let his eyes wander onto the pink haired boy's face, he realized that Jaemin was bluntly staring at his lips. The slytherin wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he wanted to lean in for a kiss and that made Renjun's cheeks grow hot and his legs go numb. He should have grown used to it, since the slytherin had been attempting to steal a kiss since the Madam Puddifoot incident, but that time something felt different. Renjun's heart was beating faster and there was a burning sensation at the pit of his stomach, something so intense that made him wonder if he was sick. 

Jaemin's lips curled into a smile and in that moment Renjun realized he had been caught staring unconsciously at the other's lips too. A wave of embarassment washed over him as the slytherin leaned in, dangerously closer, invading his personal space. Renjun felt a shiver run down his spine. He winced and withdrawned, bumping his back against the wooden table and letting a moan escape his lips. Renjun cursed under his breath, averting his gaze and swallowing hard as he hoped the other wouldn't notice how flustered he was. How foolish of him, of course Jaemin would; and of course he'd giggle at his sudden clumsiness.

«Renjun-ah.» he called out, lowering his voice a few octaves and curling his lips into a smile. Renjun felt a knot in his stomach and bit the inside of his cheeks, lowering his head to hide his flushed cheeks. Jaemin rested his hand on his shoulder and pulled him a bit closer. Renjun tried his best to keep his eyes glued on the floor, focusing on the thick white lines separating the tiles from one another but failing as the other raised his chin and forced him to look up. Renjun froze and felt his body weak at the gentle touch. He'd never been so close to Jaemin before and he didn't know how he should react. The old him would have probably pushed the slytherin away, if he hadn't completely lost control over his body, but at that moment all Renjun could think about was how warm his body felt under the other's touch and how his heights fitted perfectly. Jaemin tilted his head, eyes drifting over Renjun's lips with much hunger and anticipation. He could feel Renjun tremble under his touch and his breath hitched in his throat, his emotions were taking over, pushing him on the edge of control. The slytherin was perfectly aware that whatever he was about to do, would change everything and that there was no way to go back, but he needed to do it. 

It hurt not to do it. 

«J-Jaemin?» Renjun whispered in a hoarse voice, causing the slytherin to groan out of frustration. Renjun looked so small and fragile and Jaemin both hated and loved it at the same time. He wanted to hold back, to stop himself from fucking things up again, but despite the fear of loosing the ravenclaw's trust again, he just couldn't suppress the burning desire spreading all over his body. Jaemin swore softly as leaned in, his hands framing the smaller's cheeks and pulling him closer to press their lips together into a chast kiss. Renjun flinched in his hold, shutting his eyes closed and holding his breath, letting Jaemin take control over him and melting slowly into his touch. It wasn't the first time he had kissed someone, but as far as he could remember, none of his previous kisses felt as good as this.  
Jaemin's lips explored his, tentatively at first, then with greater intensity. Renjun wasn't kissing him back, but he wasn't pulling away either. He didn't seem to mind it when Jaemin hands entwined in his hair, pulling slightly as he tilted his head and sucked on his lower lip. 

When they broke the kiss, Jaemin left his eyes shut wanting to savour the moment and felt the other's body tremble, gasping for air. He let go of Renjun and ran an hand through his hair, his eyes falling on the ravenclaw's shocked expression. Renjun's eyes widened as he felt fear slamming into him. His heart was threatening to jump out of his chest and his cheeks were burning hot, his whole body craving for the gentleness of Jaemin's touch. He could still feel Jaemin's kiss lingering on his lips, his fingers running through his hair and the warmt of the other's hands holding him close. Renjun blushed and looked away in embarassment. The slytherin's intense stare made him feel things he'd rather not to, but that were now imprinted on both his body and his mind. Renjun cursed under his breath and chewed on his lower lip. 

They stood there, in silence for a few seconds, Jaemin studying the older's face and waiting for him to say something. Renjun's mind was flooded with questions, emotions, sensations he'd rather forget, wondering how could he let something like that happen when he'd promise himself not to let his guard down and let feelings take control over him. Normally he'd have been able to push Jaemin away, but his body had betrayed him. 

Unconsciously his eyes fell on the slytherin uniform's left pocket, right where Jaemin had hidden the love potion. Renjun stared at the outline of the bottle and frowned «What if...». The bittersweet taste of roses filled his mouth once again, interrupting his train of thoughts and reminding him of the moment he had bent down to pick Jaemin's tea spoon from under his chair. He had thought Jaemin was acting weird back then, he was never that clumsy, but he had just shrugged it off as something Jaemin did just to irritate him. He glared up, clenching his fists «You» he growled, gritting his teeth. The flush that a few seconds before dusted his cheeks in a soft shade of pink, spread all over his face and darkened. Jaemin's smile faded as he recognized it wasn't embarassment on his face, but rage. 

«I don't want to see you ever again.» Renjun threatened, his voice higher than it should and sounding far beyond upset. Jaemin had tricked him again, this time using the very reason why Renjun was angry at him in the first place, on him. The Amorentia. Renjun was sure the slytherin had been using it on him and he blamed himself for letting his guard down. He swore that was going to be the last time, then stormed away, leaving Jaemin staring at him dumbfounded. 

Jaemin's eyes followed the other as he walked out of the room and felt his soul crumbling away. He swore under his breath, slamming his fist down on the table and feeling the urge to bang his head hard against the wall to crack his skull open. 

«Fuck» he groaned gritting his teeth. 

 

XVI.

 

«I shouldn't have done it.» 

Jaemin groaned hiding his face with his hands as if he was trying to suffocate himself in the process. His best friend, Haechan, was standing right next to him, looking at him in bewilderment. They were on their way to visit the Shrieking Shack, the place they used to visit every time they needed to talk about things that not even Chenle knew about, when the brunette had frozen on his spot.  
«YOU WHAT» he yelled, making a girl walking their opposite direction jump out of surprise. Jaemin sighed loudly and ran an hand through his disheveled hair before burying his face back into his hands. «Just, please. Don't make me say it again.» he muffled in total dismay. Haechan knitted his brows in confusion and started repeating outloud everything his annoyingly tall and handsome friend had just told him. «So, you got the potion.» He asserted once again. Jaemin nodded, not having the strenght to argue about having said that at least ten times since they left Hogwarts. Haechan scratched his chin «and you decided to drink tea together afterwards, which means you and Renjun kinda...made up, I guess» he continued a bit confused on that part. «And then, you kissed him and he got so angry that he told you he doesn't want to see you even again...so now, if you don't mind me asking...» he paused and took a deep breath. 

«YOU FUCKING KISSED HIM? ARE YOU NUT? YOU'RE LUCKY HE DIDN'T USE A REDUCTO ON YOU AFTER THAT.» he yelled, pulling his hair out of desperation. Jaemin hissed at him for being too damn loud and the brunette took a deep breath in order to calm down and process everything. «Seriously Jaemin, what the hell were you thinking? He HATES skinship, and as far as I remember he HATES you just as much.» He declared in disbelief, his voice higher than normally was. «What made you think that that was a good idea? For fuck's sake, I'm happy you got the potion but- ugh» he stopped mid sentence, running an hand over his face and let out a sigh of desperation.  
Jaemin snorted softly «He liked the kiss, I'm sure of it. I just... I don't understand why he got so angry afterwards. He looked exactly like that time I told him about the potion and-» Jaemin widened his eyes in realization and let his hand wander down to his pocket, his palm running on the outline of the bottle of Amorentia. Haechan looked at him clueless, but before he could ask for an explanation, Jaemin slapped his own face. 

«Fuck. Fuck me. Fuck everything. Why didn't I think of that before?» he cussed irritated by his own stupidity. «Uhm... care to explain?» the brunette muttered in confusion. The beater turned around and groaned. «I'm an idiot Haechan. It was so obvious that was reason.» he snarled kicking a rock away from his path. «Follow me on this. Renjun helped me brewing a love potion right? And the potion needs to be drank by you love interest.» he explained. Things started to add up in Donghyuck's mind and everything felt suddenly clearer. «You think...» Haechan started off, but got interrupted by his friend's monologue. 

«We drank tea together. A rose-scented tea that happened to taste just like the potion we made.» he goes on, sounding even more unsettled. «Then I have this brilliant plan to drop my spoon on purpose just to eye at his adorable butt-» - «You pervert» Haechan cut him off with a snort. «Shut up. That's not the point.» he scowled. «The problem is that Renjun is clever, but sometimes being clever means that you overthink too much. I'm pretty sure he thinks I poured some Amorentia in his tea, that would explain why he got so angry even though he seemed to have enjoyed our kiss.» he concluded tersely.  
«That...would make sense» muttered the brunette, scratching his chin. «He still doesn't trust you, and he probably doesn't trust his feelings about you either...» he reasoned narrowing his eyes. «You sure you haven't used the amorentia o him?» Haechan asked, just to be sure. Jaemin rolled his eyes heavenward and handed him the bottle of pink juice. «You see? Full and untouched. I don't need that potion because I _**know**_ Renjun likes me already. I bet he loved the kiss but he just...can't admit it to himself, or something.» he explained. «Besides, I was waiting for it to cool down before using it on Jisung and Ma-» Haechan slapped Jaemin's mouth shut and hushed him noisily.  
«What did I tell you about that» he hissed, gritting his teeth nervously. Jaemin pushed him away and groaned. «Come on, I think the whole school knows by now. The only person - besides those three idiotic gryffindors - that doesn't realize you have the fattest gay crush on Mark is Renjun, apparently.» he spitted out. «You're lucky no one heard us.» Haechan thretened. «Anyways, if that's it. You should just talk to him.» he added in a matter-of-fact tone. Jaemin raised an eyebrow unconvinced. «Talk to him and what? Tell him that you are the "friend" that needs the love potion to get into Mark Lee's pants?» he retorted sarcastically. Haechan scrunched up his nose «Why does everything coming out of your mouth sounds dirty, today?» he asked half-jokingly. 

«But...you've got a point there. I can't just let you walk up to him and tell him that I- ugh, that I have this... this kind of... thing for-» the brunette started ramble and Jaemin whined out loud. «Oh God. Just- nevermind that. I'll need to think of something else. If only you'd man up and stop denying everything I woul- I could, fix things with Renjun.». Haechan was about to retort back, but the words died in his mouth as he reasoned everthing that had happened between Jaemin and Renjun was his fault alone, since the very beginning of the year. His friend had tried his best to help him getting that love potion - despite him being stubborn and denying his stupid lame-ass crush - even if that fucked up his potential relationship with Renjun two times in a row. Jaemin had done that for him, but he couldn't manage to help him back, by simply telling the truth? What a shitty friend he was. «Err... I...you're right. I should...tell him.» Haechan mumbled. Jaemin turned around and lifted an eyebrow. «You're gonna tell Mark?» he asked in a tone of disbelief.  
«Oh shit, no way.» yelled the other. «What I meant to say is, that I'm gonna come with you and tell Renjun the truth about the Amorentia, that's all.» he explained folding his arms dramatically. Jaemin raised both of his eyebrows this time, as to say _"As if"_ and asked if he was sure he had the guts to do it. «Are you really sure? I mean, Renjun could warn Mark about you wanting to...» he said. The brunette snorted «I know that. You better be grateful to have such a great friend, willing to fuck up his reputation to help you get together with that nerdy ass.» he declared, an indignant expression on his face as he sped up his pace. 

After a few minutes of silence Haechan cleared his throat and looked back at him, Jaemin noticed the flush creeping up the other's cheeks and smiled. «You know... we could just...give Mark the potion first, and tell Renjun later...can't we?» Haechan asked averting his eyes. The courage he had gathered leaving his body as quickly as it came. Jaemin chuckled lowly. «Yeah. I guess we could do that.»

 

XVI.

 

Jeno looked up from his Divination textbook and his eyes bore into Renjun. They'd been sitting there for two hours straight, Jeno reading his book like the diligent student he was, but he couldn't focus properly on his task because of the rhythmic sound of the ravenclaw's fingers tapping on the wooden desk. Renjun was frowning, his pen scratching the papers furiously and that could be kind of distracting.  
At first, Jeno feared he was acting like that because he was angry at him - that was the first tutoring lesson after the quidditch incident - but when he had asked, Renjun had smiled at him and told him it wasn't his fault. _«I'm angry about that too, but not as much.»_ he had said. Jeno immediately guessed that, if he wasn't the reason, Jaemin was and he didn't know how to take that. Was he supposed to feel good because they had a fight, or frightened because them having a fight meant they, somehow, cared about each other. Mark had warned him multiple times, repeating that made up phrase "there is a thin line between love and hate" over and over again.

«Renjun-ah?» he called out after turning another page and sighing internally. The ravenclaw flinched and looked up to him, furrowing his brows. The way Jeno had called him reminded him of the kiss he shared with Jaemin the day before, making his stomach twist. He took a deep breath and sighed. «I'm sorry Jeno, am I disturbing you again?» he asked, guilt in his voice when scratching the back of his neck. He knew the gryffindor was studying for an important test and he felt sorry for interrupting his reading, but he seemed to not be able to stop thinkin about Jaemin and that was throwing him over the edge.  
Since yesterday morning in the Study Hall, his mind had started playing tricks on him, making him think of Jaemin at the worst possible moments. He had caught himself blushing madly during class, loosing focus during important stages of a potion brewing, staring blankly at the teachers without getting a word of what they were saying and, not to mention the worst and most nerve-wrecking sleepless night he'd ever experienced.  
Needless to say, all he wished for was to get rid of his thoughts, but that seemed to be close to impossible. Even if he had managed not to bump into Jaemin for more than 24 hours, he still felt all tingling thinking about their kiss and he blamed it on the Amorentia the slytherin had used on him. Luckily, Jaemin didn't seem to have used the whole bottle, so the effects were lighter and Renjun could still control himself pretty well. He should have asked for a bezoar, but he was sure the potion wouldn't last long considering that he had diluted it in order to lessen its effects. Moreover, he was sure the hatred he felt for Jaemin exceeded the "illusion of love" by far. 

Jeno's mouth curved into a concerned smile. «Yeah, a little bit. But...if you need someone to talk to, I'd be more than willing to listen.» he offered thoughtfully. Renjun's eyes rested on the gryffindor's sparkling crescents and he felt even more guilty than before. Jeno was such a nice boy, he didn't deserve him. «I'm sorry Jeno, but I really can't talk about it with anyone...» he explained, pressing his lips together into a faint smile and looking back to his paper. He didn't even remember what he was writing about. Fuck Na Jaemin and his stupid Amorentia. 

A pout appeared onto the Jeno's mouth and, when Renjun noticed the sudden change of expression, he glanced up to him again and asked if something else was wrong. Jeno sighed «No, it's...nevermind» slapping himself mentally for not being brave enough to take that chance to ask Renjun out on a date, again. Jeno had figured that, if the prefect and Jaemin had fought that bad and did not talk to each other anymore, Renjun might have accepted to go out with him and, who knows, accepted his confession too. That, of course, if he'd managed to ask him out for good and not only in his head.  
Renjun proved to be some sort of natural born legilimens, creeping the shit out of Jeno once again. «I was thinking...could we hang out, like, today?» he suggested averting his eyes awkwardly to stare at floor. Renjun guessed that hanging out with the gryffindor might help him getting rid of the thoughts lingering in his mind. After all, he liked Jeno as much as he like Jaemin, didn't he? He swallowed. Well, he wasn't so sure about that anymore. 

Jeno felt his cheeks and ears grow hot and rested his ink pen on the table, hands trembling. He stared into the other's eyes and beamed. «Sure! I mean, if that could help you...» he tried to contain his excitement, but he knew Renjun couldn't be fooled. The ravenclaw's eyes turned into thin crescents as he nodded and stood up, throwing his bag on his shoulder. «I'm sure it would. I have a lot on my mind lately, stressful things, and I think you could help me leaving them behind for a while, at least.» he answered vaguely, but Jeno felt a rush on jealousy creeping back into his body. Renjun was most certaintly trying to forget something related to Jaemin and Jeno hated that the slytherin could have such an effect on his crush. However, if Renjun said he wanted to forget about certain things the sly slytherin had done, Jeno knew he'd be more than willing to help.

«Okay. Great. What about we go now?» Renjun asked, sounding excited at the idea of clearing his mind for a couple of hours, at most. He smiled in anticipation, but didn't last long as Jaemin's face came back haunting his thoughts and made him growl in annoyance. «Fucking idiot.» he mumbled under his breath, drawing Jeno's attention onto him. The younger boy sighed. Yes, it was definately some Jaemin-related thing. He must have done something really obnoxious, because that was the first time Jeno had seen Renjun so mad. 

 

**

 

«Flash news. Jeno and Renjun are walking around school, hands in hands like an happy couple. Just so you know.» announced Haechan in a lively tone, pointing finger guns in the air and slapping his hands onto Jaemin's crunched back. The slytherin had been lying on bed all day, skipping classes and reading his copy of the daily prophet - from beginning to end - for at least six times in a row. He grumbled at the sound of his friend's high-pitched voice and threw him one of his pillows, which the other dodged gracefully. «Come on, Nana! I'm talking about a date, right here in front of your eyes.» he declared sounding more amused than panicked.

«Quit sounding so happy about it.» grumbled the other turning aroung and sinking his face into another pillow. «Whatever. It doesn't matter, what could I possibly do about it? Renjun doesn't want to talk to me and Jeno took his chances. He's less of an idiot than I thought.» he added causing Haechan to roll his eyes and scoff. «I just had some sort of Déjà-vu. You said that last time too and last time I checked, it ended with a kiss» he sing-songed gleefully, his index dancing in the air before he rested his hands on Jaemin's shoulders to pull him up. 

«Yeah, a kiss and a "I don't want to see you again" which you promised to fix, but you still haven't.» Jaemin remarked bitterly, slapping the other's hands away. Haechan rolled his eyes drammatically «You have no trust in your bestfriend's skills» he complained, turning around indignant. «FYI, before I bumped into the lovey dovey couple, I was coming to see you and to tell you that I have set everything in place.» he stated, opening his arms wide to give more emphasis. Jaemin looked up to him, his chin perching on his palm as he raised a brow doubtfully and asked "How so?". Haechan scoffed pridefully and brought an hand to his chest. 

«I had a genius idea this morning.» He asserted smiling delightfully. «You remember Chenle and Jisung had a little quarrel about our little chinese boy coming out of the closet, do you?» he added, Jaemin sighing impatiently and begging him to go straight to the point. Haechan cleared is throat and continued. «Well, I suggested Chenle to walk up to Jisung after class and ask him to talk, then I told him about the Amorentia an-». Upon hearing those words Jaemin widened his eyes in terror. «Did you talk to Lele about the love potion?!» he exclaimed, widening his eyes in disbelief. The brunette nodded happily and he felt the urge to slap him on the face. «Shit. That kid can't lie. I thought that's why we agreed not to tell him anything and just give it to Jisung ourselves.» he retorted.  
«Here is where we were wrong, my friend.» Haechan said. «Chenle seemed to know about the potion already - he'd probably overheard us while we were talking about it - and had immediately agreed to give it to Mark in my behalf.» He explained triumphantly. Jaemin let a chuckle escape his lips. «I bet he said something like: "It was about time you quit the denial phase hyung", didn't he? He's probably making fun of you right now.». Haechan looked heavenward and shook his head. «Let's go back the point, shall we?» he grumbled. «Chenle said he's going to give Mark the potion, today, after he tries it out on Jisung, and guess what?» he paused grinning in anticipation.

«What?» the other asked completely unmoved.

«You stup- ugh, guess what this means? Why, in your opinion, I'm telling you about this and about Jeno and Renjun's shitty date?» he hissed gritting his teeth. He hated when Jaemin played dumb with him. «Because, I'm planning to talk to Renjun before Jeno does something you will regret. But to do so, I need you to come with me and keep that gryffindor busy while I'm at it.» he explained. 

«Oh.» was all Jaemin said. The corners of his mouth quirked up as he had just been told he'd won the lottery. Haechan pulled him up from his bed and pushed him toward the bathroom, ordering him to clean up and fix those stupid wild locks of his. Jaemin beamed as he walked out with his hair perfectly combed and dressed up, throwing his emerald and black cloak on his shoulders and wearing his best smile. Haechan grinned at the other when he'd finally joined him in front of the entrance of the Slytherin common room. «Lets-git-it!» Jaemin mocked, perfectly aware that Mark's catch phrase made Haechan incredibly irritated because - he quoted- "it sounded stupid and retarted". The brunette shot him a death glare. «You're going to regret this someday.»

 

**

 

Renjun was having trouble breathing, but he knew he couldn't blame the cold wind grazing his skin, nor his seasonal pollen allergies this time around. When he had asked Jeno to hang out he was thinking of something different, like going to pay Hagrid a visit, or playing some chess in the Great Hall while having a snack or two. He most likely didn't think he'd be walking around school hand in hand with Lee Jeno, looking for the southern door. Renjun didn't expect the gryffindor to be that bold, or at least, not in front of a group of students he'd asked directions to. The ravenclaw tried to hide his flushed cheeks by looking away, faking some kind of interest in the huge windows towering over them, but of course, he knew them by heart after six years walking down the same corridors. Jeno must have noticed his embarassment, but he didn't seem to wanting to let go of his hand and instead, when they reached the castle's south door, he gripped it tightly.  
«What about a nice trip to the Black Lake? I heard that april and may are the best months as everything has bloomed and the sun is warm!» Jeno asserted smiling excitedly. Renjun gave a little nod and let the gryffindor be the gentleman he always was, walking outside as soon as Jeno opened the door and gestured him to go first. Once outside, Jeno turned to look at his friend, who had lifted an hand to cover his eyes from the blinding light and noticed how the warm rays of the suns hit Renjun's fair skin and made it glow. «This way» he gestured holding onto the older's hand and dragging him gently along.

When the two boys reached the lake shore, they caught a glimpse of a selkie jumping up and down, ubothered by the stares of the bunch of first graders sitting a few feet from her, dangling their legs over the water. Renjun looked around, eyes turning into crescents as the bright sunlight reflected on the clear surface of the lake and forced him to avert his gaze. He lowered his head and found himself staring down at the hand Jeno was so gently holding onto. Renjun felt a slightly tingling sensation in his stomach and glanced up toward Jeno, who was lost in the view before them.  
Renjun took a moment to study Jeno's profile. His eyes followed the shape of his nose and that his sharp jawline, resting a few seconds on that pretty ever-lasting eyesmile. Renjun thought he was beautiful, but he couldn't hold himself from thinking that Jaemin was beautiful too. He frowned, his hand trembling inside of Jeno's, who turned around and looked at him clueless of what was really going on in Renjun's head.

«Are you okay, Injun?» he asked in concern and the other shrugged it off by saying that he was feeling a little tired. The boys walked a little bit further, passing by another group of students and scanning the area to find some place where they could sit peacefully by themselves. While Jeno looked around, Renjun lowered his head and chewed on his lower lip out of anger and frustration. Guilt washed over him at the thought of him thinking about Jaemin out of all people. He hated that he had felt the need to compare Jeno with Jaemin. It made him feel ashamed as he felt like he wasn't able to appreciate the amazing person standing next to him. He once again blamed it on the love potion Jaemin had possibly poured in his drink, but doubt clouded his mind as he wondered "what if he was wrong?". He shrugged that thought off his mind and sat right where Jeno was inviting him to sit, then gave him a half-smile, which he immediately regretted doing.  
Jeno stared at Renjun in silence and waited for the older to turn around and say something, but the small frown and half-smile made him realize that maybe they shouldn't have gone there in the first place. He thought Renjun would enjoy a calm place, with a few students around and a lot of time for himself, but now he felt that a noisy place where he would be surrounded by people might have been a better distraction. He frowned, drawing Renjun's attention onto him. 

«I'm better.» Renjun asserted, his eyes wandering around. «But to be completely honest, this place does make me think a lot about things I'd rather not to.» he confessed pressing his lips together and nodding his head slowly. Jeno smiled at him in understandment. «Yeah, I figured. My bad, I thought that bringing you here might help you sort your thoughts out, but I guess you needed some crowded place and a lot of shit to do.». That sounded like some sort of apology to Renjun's ear, so he shook his head and reassured Jeno that it was fine nevertheless.  
«It's okay» he chuckled softly. «I like this place. I think I've been around here just once before, but probably it was a really shitty day. The lake didn't look half good back then.» He said. Jeno stared at him for more seconds than it was normally allowed between friends and flushed a little. Renjun didn't seem to notice, lost in the lake view. «I'm sure this is a good way to relieve stress. I should come more often starting from next year, reading a book and such.» Jeno's eyes drifting down to Renjun's lips as the corners of the older's mouth turned up. «Sadly, I can't seem to enjoy it as much as I'd normally do, today.». Renjun would have loved spending his aftenoon on these shores, but silence and peace made his mind instantly wander back to Jaemin and the way he had pressed his lips gently on his. Jeno noticed the subtle change of expression on the other's face and sighed. He couldn't really help it, huh? Renjun was undoubtely trying his best to free his mind from whatever Jaemin did that was haunting him, but Jeno wasn't dumb and he knew what that looked meant. He also knew that Renjun was too caring and polite to hurt his feelings and tell him that he wasn't of any help. 

Jeno didn't know if he was ready to talk about his feeling openly, in front of his crush, but he felt like that was the right moment to face it and pour his heart out. It might have been to late, but either that, or he'll regret not having done that for the rest of his life. Jaemin was undoubtely a few steps ahead of him, probably he had already kissed and confessed to Renjun and, somehow, managed to win him over. But he had to try, he had do say something.

«You're still thinking about him, aren't you?» he asked, gathering the courage to finally speak up. He felt Renjun's body tense beside him and he let his mouth curl up in a knowing smile. Renjun was staring at him with a raised eyebrow and and innocent pout. If Jeno didn't know better, he'd think he really had no idea what he was talking about. Renjun on the other hand, didn't know what to do or what to say. Jeno seemed to be able to rad through him, just like he seemed to do with him, but that time Renjun felt his throat drying up and his heart pounding frantically against his sternum. He wondered how Jeno knew that it was a person haunting him, but then he remembered how much Jeno had been observing him lately, and how obvious it was that he was struggling because of Jaemin.  
He sighed, knowing that there was no way he could hide it anymore. «Yeah...you're right. I'm...sorry.» he apologized lowering his head. Jeno shook his own and let out a soft chuckle «No worries, Injun. I know it's hard to let go of things.» he replied in a tone of understandment. Renjun felt something gripping his heart and squeezing it tight. Jeno should not be so kind to him, not after he'd indirectly told him he'd been thinking about someone else throughout the time they've spent together. He was about to tell Jeno that he'd wish he was the one haunting his thoughts, when his eyes landed on a a small rosebush. Renjun instantly widened his eyes, mentally slapping himself for being an idiot. He could still fix this. 

«I guess, we can't hel-» he cut Jeno off before he could say something they'd regret. «No Jeno, you are wrong. We _**can**_ help this.» he said, a note of excitement in his voice as he managed to get Jaemin out of his mind for a second. Jeno furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. 

«What do you mean?»

«I...we- I think I've got it all wrong Jeno.» he explained criptcally. «I think- uh I need to tell you something, first.». Upon hearing those words Jeno felt a shiver run down his spine. He didn't want to get his hopes up but Renjun's sudden change of expression and his ramble surely meant something. 

«So hear me out first.» he said. He started off with explaining how the whole situation between him and Jaemin came to be. Jeno listened carefully, his eyes glimmetring in excitement from time to time as the ravenclaw was finally talking to him about the things that had been - and still were - bothering him. Renjun talked about the day he met Jaemin, how he suspected he had come to him only to get something in return of his friendship. He said he had the accepted to help him brewing some low-level Amorentia without knowing that it was for him - even though - he suspected at first.  
«So basically, you're saying that Jaemin had used the Amorentia on you, yesterday?» Jeno asked cocking an eyebrow in dibelief. That slytherin really did cross the line. . «Exactly. This means that everything I'm feeling right now, is probably part of an effect of the potion!» Renjun beamed and Jeno felt his heart jump in his throat. He swallowed, looking at Renjun while torturing by wondering what to do next. That was his chance to spill it all out, maybe he shouldn't waste it. 

«And you are telling me this, because...?» he opted to feign ignorance, testing the waters to see if Renjun could be actually considering a relationship with him. He didn't want to rush things, he never was the type to, but since they'd been talking so openly about how Renjun's feeling for Jaemin were an illusion, he thought that might be the right moment to step up.  
Renjun's mouth snapped shut, a tinge of red creeping onto his cheeks as he had just realized how his excitement might have pushed Jeno into thinking that that was the right for a confession. Of course, he knew that the gryffindor felt something for him, however, he wasn't ready to talk about it yet. He hoped Jeno would give him some time to think, possibly waiting for the amorentia to wear off as well to have the complete control over his own mind, but he sure felt better at the thought that he and Jeno might actually become a thing. Maybe he shouldn't worry about it that much. Jeno might have acted bold from time to time, but if Renjun really wanted to clear things out, he needed to be the one to take the lead. The prespective of being the decisive and dominant one in the relationship made his heart flutter and his face burn hot.  
Jeno was still staring at him, waiting for an answer, but had almost lost hope seeing that Renjun wasn't showing any sign of wanting to take the conversation to the next level. He pursed his lips, wondering whether he should just go for it or not. Maybe Renjun needed some time to think through it even though, to Jeno, it seemed like he was pretty sure of what he wanted and he was pretty sick of waiting too. Renjun was staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights and Jeno had no idea what to take from it. Was Renjun waiting for him to say something? Was he thinking about saying something to him? _«You know what? Fuck it.»_ he though, a surge of courage taking over him as he parted his lips and leaned forward. Renjun read Jeno's expression and panicked. His last encounter with Jaemin playing in the back of his mind as he looked at the other lean forward to steal a kiss. He looked conflicted, unsure if he should go for it too even though his feeling for Jeno weren't as clear as his were for him, but when he felt the gryffindor's hand caressing his cheek, he gave in. He didn't deserve a taste of Jeno's lips, nor even deserved the tenderness of his touch, but how could he say no to-

«Ahem»

A rather familiar voice interrupted their moment of intimacy, making both Renjun and Jeno jerk away from each other and loosing their balance. The gryffindor groaned as he had accidentally landed on a rock, whilst Renjun let himself fall onto a grass cushion and let his arm fall over his face so that it could help hide the redness of his cheeks. He cursed under his breath and glanced up, his eyes locking with Jaemin's widened ones and then shifting onto his shorter companion. Jeno sat up, scratching the back of his head, and snorted at the sight of the two slytherins towering over them. He felt anger pervade his body and balled his hand into a fist.

«Sorry to interrupt... uhm, whatever that was.» Haechan said, sounding anything but ashamed for having ruined their moment. Jeno snorted, his eyes shifting from Haechan to Jaemin an narrowing at the other's constipated expression. Renjun sighed internally and joined Jeno, sitting up next to him and focusing on Haechan's sly smirk, carefully avoiding Jaemin's lazer eyes that were probably buring holes in his forehead, by then. He tried his best to ignore the talled and focused his gazed on the brunette. Haechan folded his arms against his chest and looked down to Renjun, raising a brow. «I need to talk with you.» he said in a demanding tone. Jeno was about to snap but the ravenclaw interjected him on time. «Talk? About what?» he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. Haechan nodded solemnly and shot a glare in Jeno's direction. The gryffindor wanted to protest, kick them away and go back onto Renjun's lips, but Haechan's statement seemed to have caught the older's attention.

«I don't need to talk about anything with you.» the ravenclaw retorted.

«Mhh believe me, you do.» the other said, cocking his eyebrow and then turning to Jeno again. «Give us a moment, Romeo.» Haechan mocked, gesturing Jeno to leave by waving his hand. The gryffindor gritted his teeth in annoyance and was about to say something, when Renjun interrupted him again. «First, I want to know what it is all about, then, maybe, he'll give us a second.» Renjun replied in a firm tone, Jeno glancing back at him unsure. The ravenclaw didn't particularly enjoy the thought of being alone with the two slytherins, but if it was worth the pain, he would do it. 

«Alright.» Haechan sighed, rolling his eyes heavenward. «It's about that potion you've made, and the "friend" that asked Jaemin to get it.» Renjun raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances with Jeno. «Fine» he said, eyes still locked into Jeno's, which stood up, helping Renjun up as well. The gryffindor glared at both Haechan and Jaemin, who were waiting for him to go before speaking up, and snorted.  
«But he stays.» Renjun ordered. Jaemin and Donghyuck looked at each other doubtful and when the latter sighed out of frustration, Renjun felt his heart jump in his chest. Somewhere inside of him, there was hope. Hope that was just a ig stupid misunderstanding. «Okay, he stays.» Haechan hisses. «But this conversation, never happened.» he warned. Jeno and Renjun nodded in unison as they watched Haechan take a deep breath.

«First things first. Jaemin had not used the potion on you.» he declared in a serious tone. «Never did and never will.» Renjun's body stiffened and his eyes shifted unconsciously onto Jaemin's face. The slytherin was glaring at Jeno like he wanted to rip his head off. 

«Why would I believe you?» he asked warily. Haechan shrugged «because I'm going to tell you who the potion was really for.» he replied nonchalantly, smiling like he was sure that whatever he was about to say, would have changed Renjun's opinion. «Go on.» the hint of anticipation in his voice made Haechan's lips curl into a smile. He was about to come out openly and tell the world he had, indeed, a crush on his one and only self-proclaimed nemesis; when the sight of a raven haired gryffindor walking their direction - with both of his hands curled into a ball - made his smile falter. Jaemin, Jeno and Renjun followed his gaze confused by his sudden change of expression and furrowed their brows.

«What the hell are you doing here?» Jeno's voice cracked as his friend approached the quartet and narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the sight of the slytherins. Renjun raised a brow and looked at the scene unfold before him. Jeno sported one of his signature confused looks, his eyes knitted together and his mouth twisted into a pout. Haechan looked like he had seen a ghost, face as pale as a sheet of paper and mouth agape, while Jaemin stood there by his side in bewilderment, eyes darting from his friend and Mark Lee in a mixture of worry and anticipation. Renjun wondered what the hell was going on, but he didn't have the time to voice his question outloud because Jeno had already taken care of it.

«Where you following us?» the younger gryffindor yelled, his cheeks turning red. Mark withdrawned and his expression softened, his frown turning into a cheeky and incredibly embarassed smile. «W-well, I was just checking on you man. I wanted to make sure you didn't fuck up or anyhing...» he confessed, setting Renjun off on a coughing fit. Jeno looked heavenward and let out a groan of frustration. «That's called being a good ass friend Jeno Lee.» Mark protested. «No. That's called stalking Mark Lee.» retorted the younger running an hand through his hair and squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't believe it.  
«Whatever. I'm not here to talk about this.» said Mark turning his head toward the two slytherins and pointing his index at them. «I'm here because while I was making sure nobody got in the way, but then these two popped out of nowhere and ruined it for everyone.» he accused «What on earth do you want from my friends?». At those words Jaemin averted his eyes and glanced at Donghyuck that was still frozen in place, while Jeno was seemingly trying his best not to punch his friend out of both rage and embarassment. Renjun felt like laughing and crying at the same time, but thought that he'd have saved it for later, after Haechan's explanation.

«Haechan wanted to talk about something important.» asserted the ravenclaw, looking straight into the slytherin's eyes and waiting for him to go on with his speech. Mark frowned. «Like what?» he asked out of curiosity, no hostility in his voice this time. «He was going to tell me who the Amorentia was for.» he replied, voice monotone. «Amo-what?» Mark repeated, being instantly hushed by Jeno, which mumbled something about explaining everything to him later on. Renjun glanced back at Donghyuck, who didn't look so sure of himself anymore. The ravenclaw noticed the brief exchange of glances between Jaemin and Donghyuck and cleared his throat.  
«So, who was the potion "really" for?» he repeated the brunette's previous words. Haechan pressed his lips together and swallowed hard. Shit. He couldn't do it. He couldn't say it right in front of Mark Lee. «Uhm right, who was the potion for...» he repeated letting a faint giggle escape his lips. He brushed his palms together, turning around with his head tilted in a way that wouldn't allow any other person, aside from Jaemin, to lip-read. He mouthed something along the lines of "I can't do it. Not with him standing right there" and then turned back to the others grinning widely. He needed to make something up, and that's when Chenle's words came to his mind. 

«Chenle.» he blurted out, Jeamin's heart skipping an heartbeat and Renjun letting go of the breath he was unknowningly holding. «It was for Chenle, to use on Jisung. After the whole you-know-what I suppose...» he added, feeling like shit for giving his friend's crush's name out like that, but sighing in relief as he managed to save himself - and Jaemin - with an half-life. 

Mark seemed to have an epiphany and his whole face lit up. «Wait. Isn't "Amorentia" the name of that powerful love potion professor Wang had warned us about?» he asked, still a bit confused. Jeno nodded and furrowed his brows. He couldn't believe that such an innocent looking slytherin could come up with such a twisted - not to mention illegal - plan. No, that had to be another lie. His eyes darted to Renjun, who didn't seem to buy that explanation either; unlike Mark, that had started scratching his chin and tried to recall if he'd met Jisung and Chenle in the morning. 

He actually did. 

«Well, that would explain them kissing in front of The Fat Lady...» he commented leaving, not only Jeno and Renjun, but also Haechan and Jaemin, quite speechless. The ravenclaw didn't look convinced. He had known both Jisung and Chenle before they'd started talking during class, and he was pretty sure they had started developing a crush on each other soon after. The slytherin being painfully obvious, while Jisung seemed to be able to control himself around the other. Also, Renjun felt that there was something that didn't add up into Donghyuck's statement. The "you-know-what" probably referred to the day Chenle and Jisung had stopped hanging out, but if that was so, then why would have Chenle asked for the potion at least 6 months prior. When he didn't even know who Jisung was. It smelled fishy. 

«I'm gonna have to call bullshit on that.» He stated in a monotone voice. 

«What? Why.» Haechan winced, knitting his brows. Renjun frowned, his eyes darting from the brunette to Jaemin. He couldn't believe the slytherins had just used their youngest friend as a scapegoat. «What you're saying doesn't make sense. Jisung and Chenle met each other after Jaemin had started approaching me.» He explained. «Chenle couldn't have possibly asked you for a love potion since he didn't know Jisung yet. Hence, you're lying.» he explained in an accusatory tone. Haechan parted his lips to retort, but his mouth went dry as he realized that what Renjun was saying was true. He didn't that into consideration. Renjun wasn't easily fooled and seemed to know more than it looked. If only Mark Lee didn't show up and fucked up his plan. He needed more time.

«You are a terrible liar.» he added. «This is your last chance, I want the truth. Now.» Renjun raised a brow and looked at Jaemin as a warning. The other swallowed and glanced down at his older friend as to ask for help. The two of them had no idea of what to say. Donghyuck was literally sweating buckets. He didn't want Jaemin to hate him for not stepping up for him, but he wasn't ready to confess to his crush in front of everyone. His thoughts went immediately to Chenle and he cussed internally, wondering why the hell he hadn't used the potion on Mark yet. 

«I think we're done here. Let's go...» Renjun scoffed and looked at the gryffindors, nodding his head in the castle's direction, then glared back at Jaemin. «I gave you my trust not once, but two times...» he said, stopping mid sentence to shake his head disapprovingly. Jaemin felt his stomach clench. Renjun looked hurt and disappointed, his eyes narrowed as he gave one last glance at Jaemin's face before turning around and walking away. Jaemin wanted to run after him and tell him the whole truth; telling him how he and Haechan had planned about brewing a love potion for Mark; but he didn't have the heart to blow the whistle and risk Haechan to lose faith in him.  
Lee Donghyuck stood there, silent, watching the ravenclaw's cloak floating in the breeze as Mark and Jeno hurried up to join him. He shivered and took a deep breath, eyes down-dropped as he didn't dare looking up at Jaemin, fearing the look of disappointment that the other might have had on his face. He knew Jaemin was angry at him, he could tell as he felt the deafening silence and the tension raise and surround them. Jaemin had every right to be angry at him, but he still hoped his friend would forgive him for being a coward. When Jaemin left without saying a word, Haechan felt the world crumbling around him.


	6. What is it, and what is it going to be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title sums it up perfectly, I guess ♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, I just want to thank you all for reading, commenting and giving kudos ♥ You're beautiful and I love every single one of you ♥ 
> 
> This is my first NCT fanfiction and also the first 'long' story I get to finish! I hope you guys are going to be satisfied with the ending and create some new content yourself! :) I'm looking forward to read your stories ♥ 
> 
>  
> 
> [[p.s. I hope you don't be disappointed T^T especially because I've been rushing a bit to get this fic done - before my birthday comes up - and I haven't double checked it T^T]]

XVII.

 

«You are disgusting» 

Haechan whined, covering his ears with a pillow in the vain attempt to block out the muffled sounds of his younger friends smooching on the bed next to his. He was laying on his side, looking away from them and trying to focus on the magazine in his hands. When he'd walked in and found Chenle and Jisung cuddling together on top of the blankets, he had hoped the two idiots would leave him alone or at least tone it down a bit, but the two seemed to have no shame whastoever and went on like he wasn't there. They didn't seem to care nor understand that what they were doing was making him feel uncomfortable.

«Mh mh» 

He heard what might have been a muffled reply and sighed out of frustration, throwing his magazine harshly on the floor to turn around and say something. «Serious-» he cut himself off as he caught a glimpse of Chenle's head nesting in the crook of Jisung's neck, while the younger played with his hair, and his lips curled into a fond smile. The sight before him set Haechan off on a coughing fit. He felt his cheeks heat up and, overwhelmed with cuteness, he felt the urge to run to the bathroom and puke rainbows. It's been roughly five days since the two had made up and spent every single second glued to each other. Hell, Haechan never even talked to Jisung before, but during the last couple of days he'd seen and heard so much about him, that it felt like they were close friends already. 

Seeing that the two weren't paying attention to him and his complaints, the brunette frowned and threw one of his slippers at them. Jisung jerked up, caught out of surprise, and made Chenle almost fall off the bed with a piercing dolphin-like shriek. 

«Yah. Can't you just...go somewhere else?» Haechan groaned, seeing how Chenle had re-positioned himself back with his arms resting on Jisung's chest, and frowned at him. The slytherin started running his fingers through his boyfriend's hair and raised his brow, pouting innocently. Jisung purred and leaned in the touch, glancing up to Haechan with a grin on his lips. «Why? Does it bother you?» he played innocent, making the older snarl. Chenle giggled. «He wouldn't call it disgusting if it were him and Mark» he said teasingly, Haechan's cheeks turning into a bright red as he yelled at them to shut up. 

«You- ugh» he wanted to retort back, but Chenle knew about his crush on Mark because he had told the slytherin about it when giving him the potion, so there was no use denying it. Also, thinking about Mark made him remember the things he'd done - had not done, actually - and that he regretted not doing. His thoughts drifted to Jaemin, who had not said a word to him after the lake incident and that was seemingly trying his best to avoid him outside class. Renjun had been ignoring him since then too, and it was obvious that upset Jaemin. He and his pink haired friend hadn't faught, nor had the chance to talk about what happened, but Haechan knew Jaemin understood his situation and didn't hate him for not having the guts to talk openly about his crush. He just needed some space and alone time to cool off, and Haechan was willing to give him all the time he needed. 

«Hyung.» Chenle snapped him out of his thoughts, concern in his voice as he stretched up a smile. The older knew he was trying to tell him, but he shook his head and averted his eyes. Jisung sat up, leaning back against the wall and lifting an hand to brush his fringe out of the way. «Jaemin hyung hasn't talked to you, yet?» Chenle asked. 

«No...» Haechan sighed, scrathing the back of his neck. «I think he's still mad at me. I mean, I would too if he'd fucked up my love life like I did...» he muttered. He didn't really want to talk about it.

«Hyung, you didn't-» Jisung cut him off, raising a brow and scrunching his nose. «You can't fuck up something that doesn't exist.» he said, his answer sounded a bit harsh even though Haechan knew that part of it was true. Jaemin and Renjun might have talked to each other again after the winter holidays, but they'd never sorted things out. Renjun clearly didn't trust Jaemin anymore, so how could they build a relationship on that,; but still, everything had started because of Haechan and his stupid ass pride. 

«Don't beat yourself up too hard, though...» Jisung smiled faintly «You can still do the right thing.» he added, making the slytherin wonder how much the gryffindor really knew of the situation. Something told him that Chenle had blurted out everything, but then why would he be helping Haechan and Jaemin sorting things out, when Jeno could take advantage of the situation? He shrugged the thought off, that wasn't important now. Jisung was right, he could still fix things between him and his friend, and also between Jaemin and Renjun. Truth to be told, he'd tried talking to the stubborn ravenclaw multiple times after their little episode, but everytime he was ready to go to him to spill the truth, Mark Lee showed up and he'd slunk away. 

«You better get your ass up to Ren- Jaemin and explain yourself once and for all.» Jisung added, Chenle nodding animatedly by his side even when exchanging glances. Haechan was thinking so hard that he didn't even noticed them, nor even realized tha the gryffindor had almost said Renjun's name instead of Jaemin's. He wasn't supposed to know any of it, but apparently Chenle couldn't really keep a secret from his pretty boyfriend. 

«The hyung I know wouldn't be scared of telling the truth. Especially, if he's doing it for a friend.» said Chenle as to fire him up a bit. Haechan nodded. «You're right.» he said standing up hurriedly and retrieving his unicorn-shaped slippers from the floor. Hell, since when Lee Donghyuck acted like a freaking newbie? He was a slytherin for fuck's sake, and a slytherin uses "any means to achive", even if it's something as embarassing as telling the truth about his huge ass crush on Mark Lee. Jaemin was counting on him. All he had to do was...do what he'd failed to do for five days in a row.

«I gotta go fix some things guys.» he said almost breaking the door handle, unable to contain his excitement, and running outside. «Good luck!» chanted the younger ones, despite the other had already left. Chenle smiled content, hoping that that was going to be the last time he had to deal with being both Jaemin and Haechan's owl and guardian angel. He truly wanted his friends to make up and, who knows, help each other out with their love affairs. He looked back at Jisung and smiled at him. «You're so good with words, I swear». Jisung grinned back to him and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

«Err... Jisung?» Haechan voice crept back into the room, making Chenle wince and almost loose balance - thankfully Jisung was still holding onto him - as the younger gryffindor sighed. 

«What?» he croaked, his cheeks fushing a light shade of pink as he turned to look at Haechan. 

«Uhm...have you perhaps...seen Renjun around?»

 

**

 

It had been a while since the last time Jeno had spent some time alone - not that he'd complain about Renjun tutoring him - but lately, he'd felt the need to take a break to think about the most recent developments affecting his school life. He was getting better at both DATDA and Tranfiguration, but O.W.L.s were about to start and he had been focusing more on Renjun than his Charm's essay and his Divination test. He was walking down the corridors of bell tower, a place where students rarely passed by, planning to sit close to a window and study in peace, away from Mark's granpa jokes and ridiculous catch phrases. However, once he got there he ran into someone he'd never expected to find, not there at least. Said person was sitting on his favourite bench, crossed legs, and reading what it seemed to be - judging by the expression of the owner - a very boring book. Jeno squinted to see better, but there could be no mistake, he'd recognize those pinks locks everywhere. Their owner had haunted him for weeks.   
It was none other than Na Jaemin, resting his head on the palm of his left hand, while the other ran across the page. He was so focused on the reading, despite his tired expression, that he didn't notice Jeno had approached him and waved an hand at him to catch his attention. Jeno sighed. 

«Can I sit here?» he asked, unsure if the other would give him a positive response after learning that it was him asking. Jaemin ignored him at first but, much to his surprise, after turning another page, he nodded. Jeno didn't really know what to think of that, but sat down next to him anyway. He shot a quick glance at the back cover of the slytherin's book and smiled faintly as he had recognized the title. 

«What do you want?» Jaemin asked before he could say anything regarding the tome. The slytherin didn't look at him, eyes still glued on the dusty pages of the old biography of Nicholas Flamel, as he scanned the portrait printed on the left page and turned page one more time. Jeno took note of his firm, yet conflicted, tone and pressed his lips together into a pout. They weren't exactly friends, not even the slightest to be completely fair, but Jeno couldn't help but feel a bit bad for Jaemin. Who better than him, his "love rival", would know how much Renjun's words and actions weightened on the slytherin's heart. Jeno smiled, maybe out of pity, and wondered why on earth was he thinking to offer words of comfort to Jaemin when he, if he was in his shoes, would have probably let Jeno drown in his own sorrows. Mark was right, he needed to stop caring about other people's feelings and focus more on his own; but that wasn't the kind of person he wanted to be.

«Are you here to make fun of me?» Jaemin asked, still not daring to look at him in the eyes. «Are you going to talk about how good things with Renjun are, now that I'm out of the game? To rub it in my face?» a hint of irritation reached Jeno's ears, but the gryffindor ignored it and leaned against the backrest. He shook his head slowly and let a smile take place on his lips.

«Believe me, I'm not» he replied quietly «don't think so lowly of me» he added then, causing Jaemin to raise his eyes and glance up to him with narrowed eyes. Jeno smiled knowingly. Clearly his words had hit some nerves, but what amused him the most was the fact that Jaemin seemed to have grown curious on why he had decided to sit next to him. The slytherin stared at him for a very long time, without saying a word and just waiting for him to go on.

«You and I are really different.» Jeno asserted, looking anywhere but Jaemin's direction. «We think differently, we act differently...but don't you think it's kind of funny how we both suck when it comes to express our feelings?» he asked genuinely amused. Jaemin frowned. He wondered what the hell the gryffindor was talking about, but he didn't dare to ask, nor wanted to, because he knew the other wouldn't give him a straight answer. He didn't know what that "believe me, I'm not" really meant and, instead questioning it, he studied Jeno's wistful expression in silence and asked himself if that was the same look he had on his face. 

«It's only thanks to Mark, you know, if I'm part of Renjun's inner circle of friends.» he confessed, head lowering and eyes resting on his cold hands. «Actually, I don't even think Renjun knows for how long I've had a crush on him. It's been almost four years, and I'm still having trouble talking to him.» he chuckled lowly. Jaemin furrowed his brows and wondered if Jeno was just plain stupid, or wanted him to think he was. He didn't understand the purpose of the conversation, but somehow he wanted to hear everything, from beginning to end.

«Four years?» he questioned in disbelief. «How can a person like someone for that long and never talk to them? It's...weird.» he said frankly. Jeno nodded in silence and chuckled again. «Yeah I know. It's kind of pathetic.» Jaemin shrugged. «It is, but the thing is...» he sat up straight and looked at Jeno in the eyes, his previous hostility and scorn completely vanished as a puzzled expression crossed his face. «...you're Lee Jeno. You're popular, you're one of the best chasers and...you're decent looking, I guess» he grimaced after saying that and Jeno had to hold back another amused chuckle. «I mean, the least people would expect from you is that you're an heartbreaker. How come you manage to score more than 500 points within a season, but don't have the balls to tell someone you like them?» he scoffed. 

It was Jeno's turn to shrug. «I don't know. Quidditch just comes natural to me, love confessions...not so much.» he joked. Jaemin smiled a little at that. «I get all goofy and flustered whenever I'm around someone I like. And my hands get super sweaty.» he added. Jaemin unconsciouly nodded. It surprised him how relatable Jeno's words were to him. He didn't turn into a complete goof when standing next to Renjun, but he sure felt observed and wary, to the point he'd start sweating buckets and not knowing what to say. 

«I swear, I've always pictured you like an overconfident idiot.» Jaemin said bluntly. Jeno grinned, he knew the slythern wasn't the type to beat around the bush. 

«Well, that makes two of us.»

 

**

 

Haechan was running short of breath, resting his back against the cold wall of the corridor of the Gryffindor tower, when he had finally caught a glimpse of Renjun's corn-silk hair. The brunette felt his heart jump in his chest, not sure whether it was caused by the lack of air or the nervousness of own his heart. Deep inside, he had hoped to find Renjun alone, but he knew that was unlikely since Jisung had told him that he'd spotted the ravenclaw and Mark together in the Great Hall, half an hour before. 

«Aw crap.» Haechan grumbled to himself once his eyes landed on another taller male wearing a gryffindor's uniform and a bright smile. He took a deep breath, his hands trembling as he made his way toward the two boys chit-chatting in front of the Fat Lady painting. He walked upstairs trying to keep a low profile, avoiding the stares of a couple of male students he had recognized to be his ex's friends, and torturing his lips out of nervousness. Haechan looked up to them. Mark and Renjun talking animatedly, chuckling at some stupid joke, and that's then the slytherin panicked and started to reconsider. He could still flee if he wanted to, but something inside of him was pushing him forward. Haechan called it "a prick of conscience" and maybe, that wasn't too far from the truth. He thought of Jaemin, and all the trouble he went through to get him a love potion to use on Mark and felt guilt wash over him. Of course, he hadn't asked Jaemin to do any of it, so technically his friend had brought it all on himself, but he wouldn't have done it if he didn't care about Haechan's heart problems as much as he cared - if not more - for his own.

He didn't have to announce himself to Renjun when he reached the top of the staircase, because Mark's confused and panicked look did it all by itself. Haechan felt his knees go weak when their eyes locked, but he tried to shake that feeling off as he called out for Renjun's name. 

«Huang Renjun.» he called, sounding a bit too harsh, but he couldn't really control himself with Mark Lee looking through his skull like he could read his freaking mind. He felt like naked, and that thought made him blush violently. Renjun's lazer eyes darted to him, studying his figure from head to toes and even looking behind him, to check whether Jaemin would magically pop out of nowhere. 

«What do you want Donghyuck?» he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

«I need to talk to you.» Haechan's request sounded more like an order and that hit on Renjun's nerves.

«No you don't.» he retorted. 

«It's about the Amorentia.» 

Renjun lifted an eyebrow and scoffed in disbelief. «I thought we've already talked about this» he said. Haechan groaned out of frustration. He didn't care if Renjun didn't wanted to listen to the truth, he'll _**make**_ him listen. «Mark let's g-» Haechan cut him off abruptly, his face turning into a living red as he pointed his finger in the ravenclaw's direction and furrowed his brows. Mark looked at the scene unfolding before him grimacing in confusion, eyes widened as Haechan started to throw orders around, looking completely out of his mind. 

«NO. NOW YOU'RE GONNA KEEP YOUR FREAKING EARS WIDE OPEN AND LISTEN TO ME. AND YOU WON'T TALK UNTIL I'M FINISHED BECAUSE I AIN'T GONNA LET YOU SHIT ON MY FRIEND'S FEELINGS BECAUSE OF MY LAME ASS AND YOUR STUPID SELF.» He yelled, stomping his feel on the floor and making Renjun withdrawn in fear. Donghyuck looked like he was about to throw punches at any moment now, and he didn't want to deal with a broken nose. 

«First off, YOU'RE AN IDIOT.» he snarled, gritting his teeth. Haechan didn't really know what he was doing either, but apparently screaming outloud whatever came to his mind was busting his confidence. Renjun frowned offended, but he didn't have time to retort as the other raised his voice even more than before, not wanting to be interrupted. 

«Jaemin is a fucking idiot, full of himself and incredibly annoying when he wants to; but he's a very good friend of mine and you're making him hurt. AND I WON'T TOLERATE ANY MORE OF THAT.» Renjun took a step back, Haechan followed him taking a step forward. «You are so fucking dense and stubborn that you can't see any further than that pointy nose of yours. He'd changed, but you still don't trust the fact the he'd never lie to you again, and you know why? BECAUSE HE FUCKING LIKES YOU. SO WHY CAN'T YOU ACCEPT THE FACT THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE HIM TOO, HUH? WHY.». Haechan brought an hand against his chest and gasped for air. Getting angry wasn't good for his health because he'd often forget to breathe in between his words, but in that moment he didn't care if he'd die chocking on his own spit. Huang Renjun needed to open his freaking ears and listen to the truth. The ravenclaw dampened his lips and cleared his throat. He wasn't expecting that kind of reaction at all and Donghyuck was starting to scare him. «Uh-Alright then, let's say that what you're saying is true. Jaemin didn't use the potion on me... but last time you said it was for Chenle and it wasn't, so why should I trust you again?» he asked. Mark's eyes shifted from his shorter friend to Donghyuck in anticipation, and the slytherin felt his whole body tremble. «Shit.» he cussed under his breath. There he was, Jaemin better be glad to have him as a friend. 

«BECAUSETHEPOTIONWASFORME» he blurted out, so fast that none of the two, standing in front of him, could have understood. 

«What?» they croaked in unison. Haechan swallowed hard and glanced quickly in Mark's direction before repeating his previos statement. Slower.

«Because...the potion, w-was, for me.» he bit his tongue as a punishment for stuttering. Renjun took a moment to process the information and then narrowed his eyes and knitted his brows together. 

«You?»

«Yes.» Haechan replied in a firm voice. He begged God to not let his body betray his voice and repeated himself, once again. «Me». Renjun studied his face, analyzing every little twitch of his lips or eyes, then asked the question Haechan knew that was coming, and that he had hoped the ravenclaw wouldn't ask.

«Who?» Renjun asked, narrowing his eyes. 

«S-sorry?» Haechan feinged ignorance and grinned nervously. 

«I asked who.» Renjun folded his arms on his chest and cocked an eyebrow. «Who did you want to give the potion to?» he specified, knowing that Haechan could be really annoying when trying to elude a question. The slytherin's eyes drifted toward the gryffindor for a fraction of second and he felt his stomach clenched up in a knot, the tips of his ears and his face burning like someone had set them on fire. He swallowed and curled both of his hands into ball, tightening the grip until he felt the stinging sensation of his nails digging in the soft skin of his palms. Mark and Renjun were staring at him, waiting for him to reveal the name of his victim with both curiousity and anticipation. The gryffindor looked a bit lost, and Haechan would have made fun of him he he hadn't been in such a nerve-wrecking situation, but Renjun wasn't convinced, yet. Haechan pondered for a second, asking himself if he should lie, or take his responsabilities and tell the truth on his friend's behalf. The first sounded naturally safer, as it would prevent him being mocked for the rest of his life but, he reasoned, lying again would make things between Renjun and Jaemin even more difficult and he couldn't afford that. _«You know what? Fuck, this shit.»_ he thought in spectacular Lee Donghyuck fashion. 

«Mark» he mumbled averting his eyes and looking down between his feet. For a second he'd hope that the two boys didn't understand, but when silence fell, Donghyuck couldn't help but being alarmed. He raised his head enough to glance up at Renjun and to find him staring blankly at him, furrowed brows and lips slightly parted as if he'd just seen a ghost. He didn't dare to look at Mark though, worried about any possible reaction he could have had after hearing his name coming out from Haechan's mouth.

«Goddammit, Renjun. Say something. Don't make everything I just did for my bestfriend's sake go to waste.» he groaned out of frustration. Renjun then pressed an hand on his mouth, trying to holding himself back from breaking into a fit of laughter, but he failed. «What.» he exclaimed in shock, paying particular attention to the flush that was slowly creeping up Mark’s neck and dusting his cheeks in a soft shade of pink. 

«Don't.» Haechan warned «Make me repeat myself. You heard me.». Renjun chewed on his lips and looked away, his eyes glimmering as he'd just witnessed the most embarassing love confession of all times. Haechan and Mark. That was kind of unexpected. «Did you just...really? Mark? This-» he pointed his index toward his fellow gryffondor «Mark?» he couldn't hold back a chuckle. Donghyuck at that point had already lost it.

«Shit Renjun. Yeah. Yes. This Mark. This idiot right here with the perfectly chiseled hair, stupid eyebrows and those shining googly eyes.» he stated. «The idiot that always smiles, not matter what he's looking at, and that talks so loud and is always freaking excited about everything. The one that annoys the shit out of me. Every. Single. Day. THAT. MARK.» he added, eyes shifting unconsciously over to his crush's face. Mark was frozen in place and Haechan felt the urge to throw himself out of the nearest window. He couldn't survive this. Renjun, on the other hand looked pleased, and it took a moment for him to say something again. He stared at Donghyuck for a long time and he asked himself if he was really going to believe the slytherin's words that time around, but he felt like he should. Haechan sounded sincere, not to mention incredibly embarassed, and that would probably explain why he had lied five days prior. He wasn't ready to come out and tell the world he had a crush on his self-proclaimed enemy since birth; not even to save his friend's ass. If everything Haechan said was true, then it meant that whatever he felt when Jaemin kissed him inside the Study Hall and, whatever he'd felt afterwards, was real. It wasn't a potion, it's wasn't an illusion, it's wasn't a trick of his mind...it's was real. It was there. He swallowed hard and dampened his lips. He didn't know if he was ready admit something like that. He, Huang Renjun, head over heels for one of the most popular and attractive boys in the entire school; but part of him wanted to drop everything on the floor and run straight into Jaemin's arms. 

«So? Are you gonna stand there like a fool, staring at nothingness for the rest of your life, or are you gonna go apologize to Jaemin for being a dick?» Haechan snorted, face as red as the gryffindor flag hovering over them. Renjun pressed his lips together into a thin line and stared into Haechan's eyes. His mind wandered back to the day Jaemin had kissed him. He remembered how lost he'd felt when their lips parted and, suddenly, every shred of doubt was gone. He felt a knot form in his throat as he turned to Mark to hand him his books and ran down the stairs without saying a word or looking back. Nothing matter to him anymore. He didn't care whether Haechan was lying or not, nor he cared about the potion. For once in his life, Huang Renjun wanted to trust his instincts, his heart and his emotions over his head.

Haechan watched the ravenclaw disappear, his lips curling into a smile. He was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. He felt proud of himself, for having put his pride aside so that his bestfriend could get back in the game and win Renjun's heart, once and for all. However, it didn't take long for his smile to drop. Haechan's eyebrows creased together as he suddenly remembered that he wasn't alone. Now aware of the presence looming behind him, the slytherin felt his body tense and he insinctively started chewing on his lower lip. He was about to take his leave, refusing to look back and to say goodbye as he thought he'd been humiliated enough for the day, when an hand grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back gently.

«Wait a sec.» At the sound of Mark's serious voice, Haechan he froze, his eyes wide open. Seeing that his firm hold was making the brunette uncomfortable, the raven haired male withdrawned and cleared his throat out of embarassment. Haechan squeezed his eyes closed and cursed under his breath. He wasn't ready to deal with Mark Lee's lame-ass jokes and not even with his dumb face. He needed to leave fast, or else he was gonna have to start digging his own grave at a very young age. Unfortunately, Mark seemed to have a different idea and that thought made a shiver run down Donghyuck's spine. He stared down to his feet and caught a glimpse of their shadows on the floor. Haechan watched the gryffindor tilt his head and scratch the back of his neck - like the stupid fool he is - widening his eyes in fear when the other took a few steps forward and stopped right by his side. Haechan could catch a glimpse of Mark's shoelaces now.

«So-» Donghyuck ignored him and lowered his head as much as he could. He didn't want the gryffindor to see how flustered he was. «Ya know, I think you owe me something.» The way Mark had pronounced those words, being witty and all, made Haechan's stomach twist. He'd never wanted to punch someone that hard in his entire life, but he needed to calm down. He couldn't afford another month of detention, not with the O.W.L.s coming up in a few weeks.  
ù  
«I don't think so.» he retorted sassyly, shooting a dead glare in Mark's direction. The older was staring down at him, lips curled into a knowing smile, and Haechan felt a rush of embarassment wash over him as he tried to decipher what that could mean. «If it's an apology you're looking for, I-» Haechan furrowed his brows, but his expression faltered as soon as Mark rested an hand on his shoulder.

«That's not exactly what I had in mind...» he replied cheekily as his eyes latched on the slytherin lips. Haechan frowned, his face burning hot as Mark leaned in very, annoyingly slow. He rolled his eyes, grabbing the gryffindor by his necktie and yakning him down. «You've gotta be kidding me.»

 

**

 

Jaemin and Jeno sat there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. They'd just finished talking about their friend's most iconic stunts, when Jeno had asked him to share his own lame attempt to get close to Renjun. «So what about you? What about mr popularity and his smooth talker skills?» Jeno asked, craking a smile. Jaemin scoffed and looked away, shaking his head in dibelief. 

«You're enjoying this, aren't you? I bet you're dying to tell everyone how pathetic Na Jaemin is.» he commented sarcastically, playing with the sleeves of his uniforms and running his fingers through the fabric. Jeno gave a snort of amusement and smiled sheepishly «Come on, it can't be worse than mine.». Jaemin shrugged. «Mhh...» - _«Why not?»_ he thought. If Jeno had the guts to open up about his crush on Renjun, with him, he could do it too. There's no way he was going to be outdone by a gryffindor. 

«You know about the Amorentia and everything, right?» he asked, just to make sure Jeno would understand what he was going to talk about. The brunette nodded silently and Jaemin felt a tinge of embarassment at the thought that Renjun had told him everything, but he tried to shrug it off and not to think about it. Jeno didn't look like the kind of person who'd spill other people's secrets, unlike him.

«Has Renjun ever mentioned our... little quarrel, after the winter break?». the gryffindor furrowed his brows pensively. «Uh...I think so...». Jaemin scoffed, of course he did. The slytherin was pretty damn sure the whole school knew about it. Nobody minded their own business, not even the portraits on the walls. He sighed out of frustration. 

«Well then.» he started off with a cranky voice, his cheeks heating up a bit at the memory of the conversation he had with his bestfriend that day. «Haechan was trying to make me realize how whipped I was, and I kept denying it for hours.» he said giving a snort of laugther. Sarcasm was the only defense mechanism he knew, and the only one that worked for him whenever he talked about his feelings with someone else. Jeno nodded and let his thought wander to Mark and his stupid gibberish at the beginning of the year. «Yeah, I know the feeling.». Jaemin glanced back at him and raised both of his eyebrows sarcastically, then he cleared his throat. 

«So, when he tells me you and your group of friends had grown closer to Renjun during the first week of vacation, and that he was going to do some private tutoring lessons with you, I lost my shit.» Jeno held back a snort of laughter as it wasn't hard for him to picture Jaemin's face turning green in envy. Jaemin noticed the subtle change in his expression but ignored him. «So I walked straight up to Renjun and told him that I did't care about him and his stupid "boyfriends" because-» he paused, unsure if he should continue and then bit his tongue as he concluded with a bitter «I was only using him to get my hands on a love potion. For a friend.». He squinted his eyes and averted his gaze, looking down at the book he held in his hand. He could feel Jeno's judging eyes on him, staring dumbfounded, but when he looked up, he was surprised to see that the gryffindor was looking at him with pouting lips and a concerned expression.

«Woah, no wonder Renjun was so pissed at you...that was pretty harsh.» Jeno stated in a soft tone. Jaemin sighed and gave a dismissive wave of his hand. «Yeah, well, that was me being jealous.» he confessed in a bitter voice and with a click of his tongue. «Pathetic, I know. I suck at feelings.» he added averting his eyes, his cheeks flushing pink.

«Yeah...me too.» Jeno retorted, biting his fingernails as he pondered deeply on what he wanted to ask next. He genuinely wanted to know, how Jaemin came to like Renjun out of the blue. «Why Renjun, though?». His question came unexpected on Jaemin's part, who flinched slightly, his forehead creasing. What was he supposed to answer to that? He'd never really thought about why he "likes" Renjun, he just sort of did. 

«Well...» as his mind started wandering back in time, the reasons came naturally to his him. The way Renjun smiled, talked, bit his fingernails and chewed on his lips whenever he felt nervous. It all instantly became clear. «I think...the first thing I noticed was his smile.» Jaemin said. «He rarely smiled when I met him, and I kind of grew curious.» he felt a rush of embarassment wash over him. He'd never talked so openly about it, not even to Haechan, but somehow he felt like he could trust Jeno on this one. Maybe because they shared the same feelings, for the same person. «I also like the way his brows knit together when he's focused on reading, or the way he gets all snappy and flustered when I flirt with him. I just love the way he reacts whenever I do something he doesn't expect me to.» he giggled stupidily at the thought. Immediately hiding his smile as he felt Jeno's stare on him. 

«What?» Jaemin snorted. The gryffindor shook his head slightly. «Nothing. I was just...thinking.» Jeno's vague answer made him frown. 

«What about you, then? Mr shiny eyes?» he asked then, narrowing his eyes. He'd never thought he'd be having this kind of conversation with his love rival, but he felt genuinely curious asking that. Jeno smiled and averted his eyes, looking down the corridor as if he was waiting for someone to show up. 

«Mh...I'd say pretty much the same things - except the part about being flirty because, I'm clearly having some issues being smooth and all - but I'll add something about the way Renjun is able to make me feel at peace when I'm looking at him.» Jaemin pouted and nodded in agreement. «He's a bit grumpy and rough on the edges, but when you get close to him he's really nice and warm.» he stated, his smile widening. Jaemin looked sideways, wandering deep into his mind to find the right words to describe what Renjun felt like to him. Jeno was better at wording his feelings and he felt a rush of jealousy run through him. 

«There is something else» he declared shyly, drawing Jeno's attention back to him. He felt his cheeks burn hot but continued nonetheless. «I also like that he's not easy to approach, which comes out as challenging for someone like me, who is used to have everything he wants the moment he asks for it.» he admitted pursing his lips. «Also, the fact that he's very clever and...well, very beautiful.» - _«Heartbreakingly beautiful.»_ he concluded in his mind, glancing back at Jeno for a nod of agreement. 

«Yeah...he is.» Jeno answered, staring at Jaemin for a long moment before chuckling amusedly. «Isn't it kind of weird? To talk about these things like friends do, when we're supposed to hate each other?» he asked. Jaemin looked at him like he'd just said the dumbest thing on earth, then snorted amusedly too «It is. But I must admit, you're not half bad.» he retorted jokingly. Jeno's eyes turned into pretty crescents and Jaemin could finally see how Renjun could be attracted to someone like him. Jeno was a nice guy, nicer that he was, and he was also extremely mindful of his boundaries. His smile dropped.  
«Under different circumstances, we could have been friends.» Jeno said, no hint of sarcasm in his voice. Jaemin shrugged and nodded slowly. «I guess we could have.» he mumbled. _«But wouldn't it be kind of weird for us to be friends?»_ he asked himself. _«Even though, I don't think there is much I can do with Renjun right now...»_. Jeno studied the subtle change of expression on the other's face. «Can I ask you something else?».

«Shoot.» Jaemin shrugged lazily. «It's not like I've something to hide anymore» he added sarcastically. Jeno took some time to weighten his words and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. «Is it true, that you didn't use the Amorentia on Renjun?» he spoke softly. He didn't want to force the other to talk about it, but he knew something Jaemin didn't, and wanted to make sure the slytherin was being sincere before deciding whether to tell him about it or not.

«Why do you ask?» Jaemin looked at him warily. A glimpse of regret in Jeno's eyes, as he shut his mouth closed and pursed his lips. «I'm a curious person by nature.» he stated pouting cutely, trying to to ease the tension. Jaemin raised his brow and chewed the inside of his cheeks. «What do you think?» he retorted, clicking his tongue and leaning against the backrest. His left arm dangling over the edge of the bench, the biography resting on his lap as he tilted his head and waited for the gryffindor's response. 

«Mhh...» Jeno hummed, averting his gaze and looking down to his hands while playing with his fingers. «I think you didn't.» he asserted. Jaemin frowned at that and looked at him in disbelief, wondering how could Jeno believe his innocence while Renjun couldn't. He parted his lips to ask back but the gryffindor interjected him. «But that leaves us a question...» Jeno knew Jaemin was testing him, but he also knew that the slytherin could tell the difference between truth and lies, so he didn't try to hide what his real thoughts were. «Who was the potion really for? It wasn't for you and it wasn't for Chenle...» continued, eyes shifting from his hands back to Jaemin's face. He looked nervous, like Jeno had just opened a can of worms. 

«You're not stupid enough to risk being expelled. Not for someone outside your close circle of friends...» Jaemin grimaced, the let a smile slide across his face. «So you know who it is. How?». Jeno shrugged and grinned inwardly «Lucky guess. Donghyuck is the only person you'd be willing to take a risk for, Renjun and Chenle aside. What I'm wondering, however, is who your friend wanted to give the potion too.» He chirped, feign ignorance but smiling knowingly right after. Jaemin scoffed and rolled his eyes at his insincerity. «Cut the act, Jeno Lee. You already know that too.» he smirked.

Jeno grinned. «I guess I do.» 

The two of them burst into chuckles for a good amount of minutes, making fun of their friends having a crush on each other and being impossibly dense. They shared some funny episodes and complained about how Mark and Haechan had mocked them about Renjun, even though they had no right to talk. «It took a lifetime for Haechan to realize I've been right all along. If it wasn't for the Amorentia, he'd still be in denial.» Jaemin said. Jeno sighed as a response. «At least he's out of it, now. I keep telling Mark to stop shooting heart eyes in Donghyuck's direction, but everytime I do he tries to hit me.». The two then moved onto Chenle and Jisung, cooing on how cute they were together. The echo of their laughters reaching the ends of the abandoned corridor, until they heard fast footsteps approaching. The boys whipped their heads in the direction of the noise and, as they caught a glimpse of Renjun's corn-silk hair, Jeno stood up and fixed his cloak. 

It was time for him to go.

«I'll see you around.» he announced placing the books he'd brought with him, under his arm and looking down at Jaemin, who was gazing at him lost and confused. «Remember to take good care of our friends.» He added, with a nod and a two-finger salute. The slytherin furrowed his eyebrows and studied the other's back as his eyes followed the gryffindor walking away. _«"Our" friends?»_.

 

**

 

Renjun kept running until he was short of breath, even though the had no idea where he was heading. He had walked up and down the slytherin's staircase, crossed every corridor that led to the Great Hall and the Study Hall, but Jaemin were nowhere to be found. He had seemingly disappeared, since everyone the ravenclaw had stopped for directions had not seen the slytherin since early in the morning. Renjun cursed under his breath as he had forgotten to ask Haechan if he knew, but he bet that at the moment he was too busy sorting things out with Mark, to be of any help. Suddenly, as if God had heard his request for help, Jisung and Chenle appeared from around the corner. 

The two boys were walking hand in hand, returning from what seemed to be an assault to the kitchen - considering the amount of muffins they held in their arms. Chenle noticed him first and smiled, almost dropping the muffin he had stuffed in his mouth, on the floor. «Hyung! Do you want a muffin too?» he grinned as the ravenclaw approached them. Renjun shook his head and shifted his eyes to Jisung, that was working his jaw to eat two different pastries at once. «N-no thanks.» he said eyeing them with concern. They sure had a sweet tooth, but if they kept on like that they'd both get diabetes before their twenties. «Have you, by any chance, seen Jaemin around?» he asked, taking his eyes off the sweets and looking back to Chenle, whose smile had widened upon hearing those words. 

«Yeah sure. He said he wanted to read a book in his usual spot.» he said in an innocent-like voice, feeding another muffin to Jisung and sucking the icing sugar away from his fingers. Renjun lifted an eyebrow cleared his throat, embarassed. «And may I know where that is?» he asked in a monotone voice. 

«Sure thing» Chenle grinned, turning to his left and pointing his index in the direction of the Bell Towers framing the main entrance to the Greenhouse. «I don't know which floor, but he's usually sitting on a bench, nearby the window, in a corridor of the right tower.» he stated, turning around with a cute sultry pout and looking up to Jisung. The orange haired gryffindor curled his lips into a fond smile, then shot a glance at Renjun as to check if he was still there.

«Thanks.» The ravenclaw flew away, leaving the two boys alone in the crowded corridor. Chenle turned around just to get a glimpse of Renjun rushing upstairs and shoving a couple of students getting in his way, aside. Jisung let out a giggle. «Do you think it worked?» he asked chewing on a chocolate drop «I mean, do you think Haechan had talked to him, already?». Chenle drifted his eyes from his boyfriend's lips to his eyes and waggled his brows. 

«I say, jackpot.» he joked, leaning in to give a peck on Jisung's lips and running the tip of his tongue to wipe away the chocolate stain on his boyfriend's top lip. Once Chenle withdrawned, the younger lowered his head to hide the violent blush that seared his cheeks. He was going to die, sooner or later.

 

**

 

Renjun stopped halfway through the corridor. The last thing he expected to see were Lee Jeno and Na Jaemin sitting on a bench and talking to each other like they were some kind of friends. He frowned and wondered since when the two had started acting like civil human beings in front of one another. Funny how Jeno's presence didn't seem to bother Jaemin as much as it used to. Jeno had noticed him appearing and standing like a fool in the middle of the way, and had immediately stood up, flashing a smile in the slytherin's direction and waving a goodbye. Renjun could tell the gryffindor had said something that appeared to have mess up with Jaemin's head, then watched him heading in his direction. Renjun stood still, lowering his head bashfully as he waited for Jeno to pass by him. 

«Hey» Jeno cheered, gifting him with one of his best eyesmiles. Renjun felt his heartbeat thump in his ears as he greeted back with a shy smile. All the determination he'd felt while running around, looking for Jaemin, had vanished and had been replaced with guilt and a note regret. «What...are you doing here?» he asked in a soft-spoken voice, eyes gravitating unconsciously to Jaemin, who was standing still in front of the window and looking helplessly at the scene.

Jeno's lips curved in to a cat-like smile «I was having a nice chat with Jaemin» he said, nodding his head in the slytherin direction. Questions roaming inside of Renjun's mind, but he didn't dare to voice them outloud. Why would Jeno and Jaemin talk? What would they talk about? Did Jeno know something he didn't? He had no answer to any of that, but he was pretty sure they'd be talking about him, even though they were uncharacteristically quiet to have been doing that amongst themselves. Jeno bored his eyes into his and smiled as he could hear his thoughts. Renjun flinched and averted his gaze, looking anywhere but in front of him.

«Well, that's was nice, but I gotta go look for Mark, now.» Jeno excused himself in a polite tone. Renjun nodded weakly and bit the inside of his cheeks, running his thumb on his munched fingernails out of embarassment. Jeno could read him better than anyone else did and that thought scared him. There had to be a reason to why he'd found the two boys crushing on him, talking to each other, away from prying eyes; and he was certain it had something to do with Jeno being able to read people like they were an open book. If that was the case, they must have talked about Renjun's feelings and the way the most recent events had led him to give the cold shoulder, not only to Jaemin, but to Jeno too. The ravenclaw wasn't doing it purpose, but somewhere deep inside him he knew that he was doing that because, what he'd thought Jaemin had done to him, hurt. Of course the gryffindor wasn't at fault. On the contrary, he'd proven to be a great friend, by taking a step back and giving Renjun his space. That was probably why Renjun couldn't bring himself to look at the other in the eyes and return that smile. Jeno had always treated him right, and he'd done nothing but push him away because he'd been too busy thinking of Jaemin and being angry at him. 

«I'll see you later?» he offered, even though it sounded more like a question. The younger smiled and Renjun felt a stinging pain in the pit of his stomach. He had never felt so bad, for feeling happy about being wrong. «Sure, you know were to find me.» replied the gryffindor, smiling gently. Renjun felt his expression soften for a bunch of seconds. He smiled bitterly, a gleam of hope in his eyes as he begged the other to _"please don't hate me for not returning your feelings"_ , which Jeno seemed to have understood. His eyes conveyed the same emotions andappeared to say _"do what it feels right to you" _.__

__«Take care, Injun.» the brunette said before resting an hand on his shoulder, smiling reassuringly and pacing in the direction of the stairs. Renjun looked away and sighed. Maybe he was reading too far between the lines. He was tired, already, and he hadn't even started._ _

__

__**_ _

__

__Renjun walked up to Jaemin with hands curled into fists, not because he was angry, but because it helped to give him the courage he needed to speak up. Never in his whole life, had he thought that one day, he'd stand tall in front of Na Jaemin and apologize for acting like a dick. He furrowed his brows and looked straight into the slytherin eyes. Jaemin was staring back at him, seemingly unbothered by his gaze, but Renjun knew he was faking confidence because his eyes were slightly trembling._ _

__«I met Donghyuck on my way here.» He said, breaking the oppressive silence surrounding them. The tension building up as none of them dared to speak. Jaemin looked confused, his body had stiffened and he didn't really know how to react, fearing that he'd be saying the wrong thing and upset the other again. Renjun simply stared at him, clear eyes, yet still unsure on whether he should just blurt everything out or wait for the other to say something first. «Is there a way to know the truth, aside from asking Jaemin?» he wondered.  
«He came to me and said he wanted to talk about what happened...» he asserted, seeing that Jaemin wasn't going to ask for him to continue. He was too clever not to know that the ravenclaw was waiting for him to betray his friend's words; even if Renjun thought that Haechan didn't lie. However, he wanted to make sure he was not going to be fooled again, and he also wanted to make sure to teach Jaemin and important lesson about trust._ _

__«...but I'm not sure I believe him.» he stated, squinting his eyes. Jaemin pressed his lips together and kept still. He was trying not to show it, but he was panicking on the inside. Renjun came to talk to him personally, just to make sure Haechan wasn't lying, but how could he be certain that he wouldn't be lying too? Jaemin's eyes bored into Renjun's as he waited for the other to ask for reassurance. He had no idea about what Haechan had told him, but part of him hoped it was the whole plain truth. Jaemin parted his lips to voice out his doubts when Renjun's harsh words interjected him._ _

__«You are a fucking coward, Na Jaemin.» Renjun scoffed in a surge of anger, afterhaving waited for Jaemin to man up. His patience was long gone. «I can't seriously believe you had suggested your bestfriend to use a freaking love potion on his crush, instead of advising them to talk to and confess.» he said. Jaemin felt confused as he thought Renjun was about to insult him, yelling and throwing punches in the air, and instead, looked calm and composed. It was, almost, even scarier than watching him turn into a livid red and snarl outloud. He felt lost, as he didn't know how he was supposed to react to that. Renjun on the other side, was trying hard not to burst. He felt a whirlwind of emotions running inside him. He wanted to yell, laugh and cry at the same time, but he needed to stay calm, and let those emotions sink in. He didn't have the strenght to deal with all those emotions at the same time._ _

__«You are seriously the dumbest idiot, with the biggest ego and with the most annoying smirk and personality, I've ever met in my life.» he went on, starting to listing things, counting on the finger of his left hand. «You have no shame; you don't care about other people's feelings - unless it's your bestfriends' -; you have no respect for other people'd boundaries and enjoy pissing people off, by being all bitchy, flirty and touchy, until they feel the urge to kick you right in the face.» he added, his voice raising of volume. Jaemin felt overwhelmed. It was the first time - if he didn't considered that time Haechan had argued with him about being annoyingly clingy - that someone had the guts to call him annoying and bitchy; but for some reason he didn't feel as hurt as he thought he would. Maybe because he knew everything Renjun was saying, was true._ _

__«I swear to God, I've lost count of how many the times I've held myself back from tearing you apart. Especially after you had taken our - barest glimpse of a - friendship and threw it away.» Renjun snorted. «I haven't forgiven you, and yet, you dare asking for my help even though you've basically shat on me, and when I'm finally starting to trust you again, YOU LIE TO ME AGAIN.» Renjun finally bursted and Jaemin started feeling a bit more disgusted by himself, more and more, every second. It hurt to know that Renjun thought so bad of him, but he also knew he deserved all of it._ _

__«Or so I thought.» he added, his voice lowering considerably - barely a whisper - as his eyes dropped on his feet. «I felt like I could never trust you, even if I wanted to.» he paused and let a sigh escape his lips. «But you know what I hated the most? Is that I let you, and everything you say, get under my skin.»_ _

__«I keep telling myself I should stop thinking about it. I should stop giving you a "second chance" - which hasn't been a"second" for while now - but somehow, I always end up giving my trust to you, again. And everytime I do. You waste it.». Jaemin swallowed, his lips quivering as he felt a rush of both guilt and shame wash over him. He'd never meant to make Renjun hurt. He had made a mistake, maybe more than a few, but he'd done it because he cared but didn't what to do. He'd been in a relationship before, but he'd never felt that nervous and insecure around someone, like he did when he stood in the same room as Renjun. He didn't turn clumsy and shy when he stood next to his crush, but Renjun made him feel so many things at once, that he didn't know how to react. Some days he'd felt happy because Renjun had shared some words with him during class; other days he'd felt jealous because Renjun had smiled at someone else who wasn't him, or felt anger burning inside of his body because he'd spent most of his time with Jeno and his friends, instead of him. There were also many days he'd felt gloomy because Renjun had stopped taking to him because he'd made a mistake; and there were many other days he'd felt so excited that, if he had had the courage to do it, he would have cupped Renjun's cheeks in his hands and kissed the life out of him._ _

__When he snapped out of his thoughts, he noticed Renjun was staring at him and they locked eyes. The blonde haired ravenclaw sighed out of frustration and averted his gaze. «But this time around... I am the idiot.» he said, shaking his head. «I thought it was you again, making it hard for me to trust you. To trust my feelings for you. But I was the one at fault...and I'm sorry.». Jaemin's eyes widened in response to that, and a warm and fuzzy feeling started spreading throughout his body._ _

__«I'm truly sorry. I've been a dick-head and...I wanted to apologize.» Renjun added, pursing his lips and glancing up at Jaemin, unsure if he should voice the thought lingering in the back of his mind. Jaemin swallowed. «I dont...know what to say, besides, that I'm sorry too. For everything I've put you through.» he said in a throaty voice. He lowered his head and looked away, his hands curling into fists, just like Renjun's were, as he spoke up. He had decided to spill everything out, once and for all._ _

__«I'm sorry if I hurt you.» he started pretty lamely. «I'm sorry for being a dick, for being annoying, clingy, unfunny and disrespectul.» Renjun flinched, he didn't not expect Jaemin to talk back at all. «I'm sorry if I have stepped on your boundaries, for finding you hatred for skinship funny and cute; and I'm truly, embarassingly sorry for lying to you about wanting to be friends.» he paused, reflecting on his own actions, then attemped saying something rather bold, considering the delicacy of the situation. «but that's not everything...» he took a deep breath and raised his head up._ _

__«Actually...I wasn't completely lying about that.» he pressed his lips together into a thin line and his eyes bored into Renjun's. The palms of his hands now sweaty. «I-I mean, I I was but...- ugh- truth is...I didn't realize it back than, but...» he felt a knot form in his throat and swallowed hard to get rid of it. «I-I was jealous.» Renjun frowned. «I was jealous because you'd started hanging out with Jeno and...I knew he had a crush on you and...I thought I'd loose my chances with you...» he bit the inside of his cheeks._ _

__«I've always wanted to be more than friends... I guess» he confessed, his cheeks lit up in a bright shade of red. «But it took me some time t-» Jaemin tried to gather his thoughts to add something more to it, when Renjun wrapped his fingers around his emerald necktie and yanked him down, so that they were just the same weight.«You know, you're being annoying again.» he mumbled, with a look the slytherin couldn't decipher. Jaemin felt blood rushing to his face and his limbs go numb, then Renjun closed the distance between them, their lips crashing together in a kiss. It was short and messy, but the thought that it had been Renjun to initiate touch lit up a fire in Jaemin's chest._ _

__When they broke apart, Jaemin stared wide eyed at Renjun, whose cheeks were dusted in a light shade of pink. His mind gone blank as he opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, because all he could think about was the burning heat of Renjun's soft lips on his. Jaemin felt a tremble going down his legs and tried to regulate his breathing, but when Renjun ran an hand through his hair and tangled his fingers in his pink curls, Jaemin though he was about to die, right there. He let his eyes travel on the other's face, Renjun's fingers grazing his cheeks with such aching tenderness that for a moment, Jaemin wondered if he it had all been a figment of his immagination. It wasn't like Renjun to do something so bold, but he liked it. He liked it a lot. Jaemin's eyes drifted close briefly, as he sneaks his arms unconsciously around Renjun's waist, to draw him closer and to feel the warmt of the smaller's body against his. Renjun let out a muffled sound as he slid an arm around Jaemin's neck, pulling him in for another kiss. When their lips brushed together, Renjun felt a tremor run down his spine. He couldn't believe the boldness of his own actions, but he didn't regret any of it. Jaemin's fingers were stroking his sides, shaping the curves of Renjun's body and sending a wave of want through him. He had tried to hold himself back, get rid of those feeling that made his mind ran wild, and now that he was kissing Jaemin by his own decision he felt finally free and happy. He moaned weakly as Jaemin parted his lips to take Renjun's bottom lip between his teeth, biting and sucking like his life depended on it. The slytherin's eyes squeezed shut as he titled his head and deepened the kiss, placing his hand on the small of Renjun's back and tracing the spine with his thumb.  
Renjun watched his face. His eyes barely opened, like he'd just woken up from dream, as he broke the kiss to catch a breath and then leaned in again, with a fond smile hovering on in lips. He rested his foreahead against Jaemin's, who had opened his eyes to stare into Renjun's, and felt a shiver run through his body. His heart pounding, matching with Jaemin's, as he stood on his toes and pressed his lips onto the rim of Jaemin's ear and gave him a butterfly kiss and lightly sweeps his cheeks with his eyelashes. Jaemin nuzzled his face in the crook of Renjun's neck and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the honey-like scent of the other's skin. «I think...I might be in love with you.» he whispered shyly, a smile forming his lips as the other rested his chin on Jaemin shoulder and closed his eyes shut. _ _

__«Yeah?» Renjun breathed weakly, his voice as soft as the smile curving his lips. «I might too...»_ _

__

__

__- **EPILOGUE** -_ _

__

__«You're disguuuusting» a slur, is the first thing he wakes up to._ _

__«Yeah, aren't you even a little bit ashamed of yourself?» another voice, raspy and significantly lower than the previous one, makes him groan and crawl under his blankets. He curls up, resting his forehead against his boyfriend's side and wrapping an arm around his waist, pulling himself a bit closer._ _

__«Shouldn't you be setting a good example to your younger brothers?» Chenle mocks whilst playing with a lock of his hyung's hair. The clicking of tongue that follows shortly after, has grown familiar during the last couple of months, and it's obviously Jisung that intervenes with a witty comment on Mark snoring habits. The gryffindor and his obnoxiously loud boyfriend's shrieks are the only things that could set Donghyuck off, even after having spent a night cuddling up with his boyfriend, and maybe that's why the two little demons enjoy waking their hyungs up everytime they're having a sleepover._ _

__«Shut your cakeholes» Haechan growls, rubbing his eyes with his free hand and placing the the other on the top Mark's chest, right above his heart. The gryffindor is wearing one of those black t-shirts full of writings he'd gifted him for Christmas and Donghyuck's lips curl into a smile as he starts drawing circles on his chest with the palm of his hand. Mark's still sleeping, and if it wasn't for the two annoying creatures crawling inside his room, he'd peek his head out and wake him up with a soft kiss.  
He slips his hand out to slap Chenle's and lets out anouther frustrated groan. «Can't you justo go bother someone else?» he whines. «Like, I dunno, Jaemin and Renjun?» He doesn't see them, but he can hear Jisung and Chenle shaking their heads in disagreement before someone starts tickling him under his toes. Haechan throws a kick and grumbles something about wanting to "end them", then he feel Mark stirring beside him and he immediately shuts up. Chenle and Jisung giggle and hurry out of the door, mission completed, and leaving the two of them to their privacy._ _

__«Hey...» Mark's husky morning voice makes Haechan's heart flutter in his chest. The slytherin turns, a light shade of pink dusting on his cheeks since early in the morning, and greets his lover with a fond smile on his lips._ _

__«What time is it?» the gryffindor asks while sitting up.The blankets falling to his sides as he runs an hand through his beautiful raven hair and streches out his arms. He'll never stop complaining about how small Haechan's bed is, or how stiff he feels in the morning; but that won't ever keep him from spending his night over and showering his boyfriend's with kisses. Now that he thinks about it, he hasn't received his good morning kiss yet, and he knows exactly who's to blame. He'll make sure to repay Chenle and Jisung back later on, but for now, he leans down and plants a kiss on Haechan's forehead, one on the tip of his nose, and one each for his cheeks._ _

__«Good morning to you too» Donghyuck purrs, tugging at his boyfriend's shirt and pulling him down and peck him on the lips. «It's half-past eight in the morning, by the way.» he grins, ruffling Mark's hair and slipping out of bed at the speed of light. Mark curses under his breath. «Dammit. I'm gonna be late again, man.»_ _

__

__**_ _

__

__Jaemin and Renjun are walking hand in hand, along the corridor that leads in front of the main entrance of the Great Hall, to have breakfast before going to class. They are usually the first to wake up in the morning, Renjun being an early bird and Jaemin being a sucker for cuddling in bed, but today they had decided to sleep in and enjoy their last few moments together before the end of the school. The N.E.W.T exams are coming to an end today, with Gryffindor's and Hufflepuff's final Transfiguration tests, and Renjun is biting his nails to relieve the stress that had built up inside of him throughout the last two weeks._ _

__«Stop worrying about it. I'm sure your results are great.» The slytherin yawns, rubbing his eyes with the back of his free hand and then turns to Renjun and flashes him a smile. «They always are.» he adds reassuringly. Renjun's mouth quirks into a smile as he rolls his eyes heavenward. «Still. You know how important it is for me to-» Jaemin cuts him off with a quick kiss on the lips, then grins cheekily. «You'll be a great teacher Injunnie». The ravenclaw scoffs, but right when he's about to retort, Jisung and Chenle pop out of nowhere, pulling Renjun and Jaemin by their cloaks and giggling like crazy._ _

__«Don't run in the corridor» the ravenclaw admonishes, tugging Jisung by the sleeve of his shirt. The gryffindor grins and throws his arm around his shorter friend. «We're sorry mr Headboy.» Chenle sing-songs happily. Renjun rolls his eyes at that and gives a snort of laughter. «Yah. You better listen to your hyung, punks.» Jaemin adds with a click of his tongue, ruffling Chenle's green locks and wrinkling his nose._ _

__«Or what? What are you gonna do?» Chenle challenges. Jaemin opens his mouth to retort with a threat of some sort, but Renjun knows they'll use whatever he says against him, so stops him before he says something he'll regret. «He won't do anything, but I can still subtract points from your houses.» he warns. Chenle raises an hand to his mouth to pretending to be scared and Jisung snorts, glancing at Jaemin and mouthing something that Renjun translates as "w-h-i-p-p-e-d". The pink haired slytherin shoots a menacing glare in the youngsters' direction, but they run away before he can start chasing after Jisung to choke him to death. Renjun is usually the one trying to suffocate Jisung, but this time around he appears to find the whole situation funny. It's sad to think that this is their last week together at Hogwarts.  
«Something's wrong, Injunnie?» Jaemin asks pouting. Just then, Renjun realizes that he was frowning, and simply frowns. «It's nothing.» he states curving his lips into a smile. _ _

__The two of them walk inside the Great Hall and look around for their friends. They spot Chenle and Jisung sitting and waving at them from the furthest corner of the gryffindors' table, and join them. They obviously sit together, next to each other, and Renjun immediately reaches out for the teapot and a couple of mugs. Jaemin steals a box of tea bags from the Hufflepuff table, searching frantically for a yellow bag, while Renjun snatches the bowl of chocolate biscuits from Jisung's hands. «Jasmine, right?» Jaemin asks, even though he knows the answer is going to be yes, like it has always been. Renjun nods and smiles warmly, resting an hand on the slytherin's forearm as he lets Jaemin take care of the tea for him. Chenle looks at the scene, pouring a large amount of strawberry jam on top of his waffle and spreading it with his butterknife. «Aw, aren't they cute?» he cooes, winking at Jisung. Renjun and Jaemin ignore the teasing and focus on two familiar voices bickering on the other side of the table._ _

__«I'm sorry okay? I got scared!» Haechan says, knitting his brows whilst taking the seat in front of Chenle._ _

__«Scare of what? I was literally the only person that could come in!» Mark retorts, taking the spot right next to him, in front of Renjun._ _

__«Well, I didn't expect you to come in.» Haechan explains, grabbing a croissant and shoving it into his mouth. «Who the hell walks in on their boyfriend while they're taking a shit?» he  
snorts unamused, making the raven haired gryffindor turn red out of embarassment and frustration. «Yah. First, I didn't know you were...» Mark lowers his voice. «...taking a dump.» he whispers. _ _

__«How prude.» Jisung mocks. Chenle lets out a shriek of laughter and almost drops his waffle on the floor. Mark scowls at him and then leans closer to Haechan's hear. «Secondly, I don't want the whole school to know I've accidentally walked in on you inside a bathroom.» he adds, his voice lowering further. Haechan scoffs unamused. «Who cares? Everyone knows about us anyways.» he retorts stuffing his mouth with vanilla biscuits._ _

__«Oh, they do.» Jaemin assures.«Especially after Mark had "accidentally" announced to the whole school how cute your butt is.» Renjun elbows him, shooting an apologizing look at the other couple's direction. Mark sure looks like he's about to faint, a blush searing his cheeks as he remembers that moment with shame. «I didn't do it on purpose, you know that.» he mutters lowering his head and placing a slice of cake on his plate. «Someone must have turned the mic on while I wasn't looking.» he explains bashfully. Jisung and Chenle exchange glances and cackle with glee. Renjun catches a glimpse of them and shakes his head hopelessly. It had to be them, of course._ _

__«Hey guys!» Jeno makes his entrance, flashing one of his light-bringing smiles and taking his seat next to Jaemin and right in front of Mark. «It's about time you showed up.» Haechan says in a monotone voice, from across the table. «We thought you got lost or some shit.» he adds, munching on his pancake. Jeno snickers and gestures Renjun to pass him some milk._ _

__«Good morning to you, Haechan. Sounds like somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed.» he observes. Mark looks at him with pleading eyes and he looks back at him innocently. He has no idea what they were talking about before he had joined them, and that's for the best. Chenle takes that chance to bring up some other embarassing facts on Mark and Donghyuck sharing a bed and mocks them for being clingy when sleeping. Haechan shoots him and Jisung a death glare and mouths a rather threatening "I'm gonna end you both for good"._ _

__Jaemin tries to switch the topic of their discussion, from "Haechan and Mark cuddle at night" to "let's talk about Jeno training to become an official Quidditch player", and Mark swears he's going to kiss the ground Jaemin walks on, til the end of time. Renjun nods in agreement and lets out a sigh of relief._ _

__«So, how did the pre-selection go?» the pink haired slytherin asks, taking a sip of his tea and smiling with anticipation. Jeno curles his lips into a proud smile. «I passed. The whole group cheers loudly at that, especially Mark, Jisung and Renjun._ _

__«You did it man.» says the oldest, fist bumping his bestfriend and grinning proudly as well. Jaemin claps his hands supportively and Renjun gives him an awkward thumb up, which is totally out of character, but that Jeno seems to appreciate. «So, did they tell you the name of the team you might play for?» Jisung asks, his hands curled up into a ball. He looks estatic, and Renjun thinks it's probably because the younger gryffindor admires Jeno and low-key wishes to be like him. Jisung tried to join the gryffindor Quidditch team again this year, but failed. Renjun shrugs, he has still a year left and he's sure he's going to make it._ _

__«Not yet.» Jeno pouts. «But coach says I'm a natural, so I think I might have a chance with the South Korean team.» he states before gulping down an entire glass of milk in one-shot. Jaemin grins excitedly. «Don't forget about us, mr Natural.» he mocks. Jeno bursts into a giggle and shakes his head, catching a glimpse of Renjun sipping his tea and glancing over at him with a fond smile on his lips. He sends an eyesmile back at him._ _

__«I won't» he promises._ _

__In a few minutes, everyone starts talking about what they're planning to do once the N.E.W.T - and school, in general - is over, and Renjun finds himself staring blankly at a scratch on the table. The young ravenclaw places his now empty cup on its plate and looks up, eyes resting on Mark and Haechan who are still bickering over who's a better fit to work at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes magic shop. The gryffindor says it's him because he's naturally funny, and the slytherin scoffs, saying that there's a difference between "being funny" and "being dumb". Renjun grins. He thinks the two of them would be perfect for the job, so he hopes they'll be hired together. He finds it funny, how their dreams matched well with both their personality and their boyfriend's._ _

__Renjun's eyes then shift onto Chenle and Jisung, throwing hearts at each other from across the table and making fun of Haechan and Mark for acting like an old married couple, after barely an year since the start of their relationship. He sighs and wonders if they are going to miss their hyungs next year, but then he remembers that Chenle has already told Jaemin and Donghyuck that he's not going to miss them, and he can't help but chuckle in amusement. Jisung too, kept making fun of Jeno and Mark for being "sentimental" and teased them about how he and Chenle can't wait to get rid of his hyungs. The two younger members of their "lame-ass group" - Haechan named them that way - have so many things in mind and still so many decisions to take. Renjun hopes they'll achieve their goals and stick together until the end._ _

__The ravenclaw then turns to his left side and looks at both Jeno and his boyfriend, talking to each other animatedly like they've been friends for decades. Sure, he knows that even though they spend a lot of time together and joke around a lot, they're still far from being close friends. Renjun knows Jeno is going to need more time to get over his crush on him, but he can't help but feel thankful to have lost neither of them, despite having to choose back then. He's also glad that Jeno has got the chance to follow one of his dreams and that, despite not being able to become an Auror, he's never lost faith in himself._ _

__«Renjun? You're spacing out again...are you sure you're not sick?» Jaemin asks, resting an hand on his forehead to check on his temperature. He mumbles something to himself, after he withdrawns, and Renjun smiles warmly back at him. «I'm fine. I'm just thinking about... things.» the assures in a soft voice. Renjun lets his eyes wander on his boyfriend's face, paying closer attention to the way Jaemin's eyes sparkle with joy whenever he looks at his, or the way the corners of the slytherin mouth curl into a smile when he talks about him. Renjun still can't believe that it has been an year, already, since he and Jaemin had become a couple. He can't believe someone that as beautiful and talented as him, had chosen to love and cherish someone like him. He and Jaemin have always been, and still are, very different from each other, but Renjun hopes they'll never leave each other's side. Not even when he'll start his journey to become a teacher, and Jaemin will begin his Auror training. It's amazing how his life and his "priorities had changed in the course of one year. He used to have no friends, and now he has got the best he could hope for._ _

__Renjun doesn't feel ready to say goodbye to them. He's a bit scared of growing up and to walk his own way; to reach out for his dreams. But he trusts that, it doesn't matter where life is going to lead him, his friends will always be there for him, and he'll always be there for them. They'll be his home and he'll be theirs. Renjun rests his chin on the palm of his hand and smiles bitterly at that thought._ _

__Growing up is terrifying, but doing it while surrounded by the people you love, makes it a lot less scary._ _


End file.
